Skip to content

Ziprasidone in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Ziprasidone in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: a 6-week, Open-label Comparison of Rapid vs. Slow Dose Titration

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00622739
Enrollment
28
Registered
2008-02-25
Start date
2007-02-28
Completion date
2009-11-30
Last updated
2019-10-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bipolar Disorder

Keywords

Bipolar Disorder, Children, Adolescents, Treatment

Brief summary

This is a 6 week, open-label, blinded-rater, randomized, controlled, pilot study designed to determine the dosing, safety and efficacy of ziprasidone in the treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). In this pilot study we are comparing the efficacy of rapid versus slow dose titration of ziprasidone in PBD. The investigators hypothesize that subjects on ziprasidone monotherapy will have a reduction in manic symptoms. Also, the investigators hypothesize that slower titration of ziprasidone will result in lesser side effects which will assist in medication compliance as measured by patient report and pill count.

Detailed description

This study will enroll approximately 60 children and adolescents aged 10-17 years who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Their participation will last about 8 weeks (2 weeks of screening and 6 weeks of medication management) and enrollment will last for two years. After the screening period, all subjects who meet inclusion/exclusion criteria will be randomized to either rapid or slow dose titration of ziprasidone. Subjects in the rapid titration group will reach their maximum dose of study drug over 2 weeks, subjects in the slow titration group over 4 weeks. The study doctor may deviate from the dosing schedule if clinically indicated. The primary data analysis of this pilot study will examine the effect of rapid- versus slow-dose titration of ziprasidone on manic symptoms.

Interventions

DRUGZiprasidone

Subjects will be treated openly with Ziprasidone for 6 weeks. Dose will be titrated from 20 mg to a maximum of 160 mg. Arm 1 will have the dose of Ziprasidone titrated at a rate of 20 mg every 2 days, reaching the maximum dose in 14 days. Final dose of Ziprasidone will be determined by symptoms reduction and the presence or absence of side effects.

Sponsors

Stanley Medical Research Institute
CollaboratorOTHER
Pfizer
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Children's Medical Center Dallas
CollaboratorOTHER
Baylor College of Medicine
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
10 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Outpatients aged 10-17 years * Currently meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for bipolar disorder, type I, II or Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) as determined by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia -Present/Lifetime (Kiddie-SADS-PL) * Experiencing manic, hypomanic or mixed states as determined by clinical diagnosis and Kiddie- Young Mania rating scale (K-YMRS) equal to or more than 14 * General good health as determined by medical history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluations * Female adolescents, if sexually active, must practice birth control methods approved by the primary investigator * Ability to swallow tablets * Subject's parent or guardian must be fully capable of monitoring the subject's disease process and compliance to treatment * Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must read and sign the informed consent form after the nature of the study has been fully explained and assent must be obtained from subjects.

Exclusion criteria

* Have a lifetime DSM-IV-TR Axis I disorder diagnosis of autistic disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or other psychotic disorders * DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of alcohol or substance abuse or dependence within the past 6 months * Serious or unstable medical or neurological conditions which require concomitant medications * Judged by the principal investigator (PI) to be acutely suicidal or homicidal, or at imminent risk of injuring self or others or causing significant damage to property-i.e., subject needs to be in an inpatient facility * Known or suspected intelligence quotient (IQ) less than 70 * Have a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of anorexia and/or bulimia at the time of screening or within the last six months * Female who is pregnant or nursing * Subjects with a history of syncopal episodes (sudden loss of consciousness with loss of postural tone and not preceded by a pre-syncopal phase) or unexplained loss of consciousness * Subjects with a history of significant cardiovascular disease or significant concurrent cardiovascular disease, including uncontrolled hypertension, hypotension, congestive heart failure or congenital heart disease * Subjects with a history of cardiac arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities or known personal history or corrected QT prolongation (including congenital long QT syndrome) * Subjects with a known genetic risk for QT syndrome determined by family history in first degree relatives * Subjects taking any medications known to interact with ziprasidone or subjects taking any medications which have been consistently observed to prolong the QT interval * Subjects with a clinically significant ECG abnormality at screening * Subjects with persistent QTc (Fridericia) \* 460 msec at screening * Screening laboratory values outside the normal range and judged to be clinically significant by the investigator * Patients and families that are Spanish speaking only will be excluded from the study as some instruments used in the study have not been validated in Spanish

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)6 weeks of treatmentThe Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) is a measure of the severity of manic symptoms. The scores on the scale range from 0-56. A score of more than or equal to 14 was the cut off for inclusion into this study. A higher score denotes increased severity of manic symptoms.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Children's Depression Rating Scale6 weeks of treatmentThe CDRS-R is a 17 item clinician-rated instrument used to measure severity of depressive symptoms in youth (ages 6-18). Each item is rated on a 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 point scale, with a 1 describing absence of the given symptom. The CDRS-R yields a total score from 17 to 113 with a score of 40 or greater considered to symptomatic of depression. Scores of 35-40 indicate mild depression, 29-34 is borderline and \<28 is no depression.
Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) Scale6 weeks of treatmentThe CGI-S assesses clinical severity. The CGI-S is a seven point scale where 1 is the minimum value and 7 is the maximum value. Lower scores mean a better outcome. The CGI-Severity scale scores are: 1=normal, not at all ill; 2=borderline mentally ill; 3=mildly ill; 4=moderately ill; 5=markedly ill; 6=severely ill; 7=among the most extremely ill patients.
SAFTEE (Side Effects Rating Scale)6 weeks of treatmentThe Systematic Assessment for Treatment of Emergent Events (SAFTEE) is one of the first comprehensive Adverse effects-elicitation instruments developed specifically for use in psychiatric clinical trials. The SAFTEE is a standardized method, which increases consistency of Adverse Effects data, both within and across clinical trials.It allows ratings of five levels of severity and collects information about the onset, duration, pattern, judgement of attribution of cause, and action taken by the clinician. Suggested probe questions are also provided, which the clinician can use to elicit detailed information about the AE. Furthermore, the SAFTEE requires the clinician to determine a time interval of inquiry to be used in the trial. Adverse Effects are graded as None=0, Mild=1, Moderate=2, Severe=3.
AIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale)6 weeks of treatmentAIMS is a 12-item instrument assessing abnormal involuntary movements associated with antipsychotic drugs, such as tardive dystonia and chronic akathisia, as well as 'spontaneous' motor disturbance related to the illness itself. Scoring the AIMS consists of rating the severity of movement in three main anatomic areas (facial/oral, extremities, and trunk), based on a five-point scale (0=none, 4=severe).
Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS)6 weeks of treatmentThe BARS measures drug-induced akathisia occurring specifically with use of neuroleptic agents. It is a four-item fully anchored scale. Three items (objective akathisia, subjective awareness of restlessness, and subjective distress related to restlessness) are rated on a 4-point scale (0= normal and 9= most severe) and, the global clinical assessment of akathisia uses a 5-point scale (0= normal and 4= most severe). Total scores ranged from 0-13 with higher scores reflecting more akathisia.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose Group
Rapid Dose Titration Group Ziprasidone: Subjects will be treated openly with Ziprasidone for 6 weeks. Dose will be titrated from 20 mg to a maximum of 160 mg. Arm 1 will have the dose of Ziprasidone titrated at a rate of 20 mg every 2 days, reaching the maximum dose in 14 days. Final dose of Ziprasidone will be determined by symptoms reduction and the presence or absence of side effects.
13
Ziprasidone Slow Dose Group
Slow Dose Titration Group Ziprasidone: Subjects will be treated openly with Ziprasidone for 6 weeks. Dose will be titrated from 20mg to a maximum of 160mg. Arm 2 will have the dose of Ziprasidone titrated at a rate of 20mg every 3-4 days, reaching the maximum dose in 25 days. Final dose of Ziprasidone will be determined by symptoms reduction and the presence or absence of side effects.
15
Total28

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyAdverse Event12
Overall StudyLack of Efficacy02
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up01
Overall StudyPhysician Decision10
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject01

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicZiprasidone Rapid Dose GroupZiprasidone Slow Dose GroupTotal
Age, Customized13.53 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.62
13.38 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5
13.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5
Region of Enrollment
United States
13 participants15 participants28 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
6 Participants6 Participants12 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
7 Participants9 Participants16 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
1 / 132 / 15
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 130 / 15

Outcome results

Primary

Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)

The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) is a measure of the severity of manic symptoms. The scores on the scale range from 0-56. A score of more than or equal to 14 was the cut off for inclusion into this study. A higher score denotes increased severity of manic symptoms.

Time frame: 6 weeks of treatment

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose GroupYoung Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)12.70 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.41
Ziprasidone Slow Dose GroupYoung Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)12.57 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.32
Secondary

AIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale)

AIMS is a 12-item instrument assessing abnormal involuntary movements associated with antipsychotic drugs, such as tardive dystonia and chronic akathisia, as well as 'spontaneous' motor disturbance related to the illness itself. Scoring the AIMS consists of rating the severity of movement in three main anatomic areas (facial/oral, extremities, and trunk), based on a five-point scale (0=none, 4=severe).

Time frame: 6 weeks of treatment

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose GroupAIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale)0.20 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.15
Ziprasidone Slow Dose GroupAIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale)0.32 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.14
Secondary

Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS)

The BARS measures drug-induced akathisia occurring specifically with use of neuroleptic agents. It is a four-item fully anchored scale. Three items (objective akathisia, subjective awareness of restlessness, and subjective distress related to restlessness) are rated on a 4-point scale (0= normal and 9= most severe) and, the global clinical assessment of akathisia uses a 5-point scale (0= normal and 4= most severe). Total scores ranged from 0-13 with higher scores reflecting more akathisia.

Time frame: 6 weeks of treatment

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose GroupBarnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS)0.11 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.05
Ziprasidone Slow Dose GroupBarnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS)0.06 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.04
Secondary

Children's Depression Rating Scale

The CDRS-R is a 17 item clinician-rated instrument used to measure severity of depressive symptoms in youth (ages 6-18). Each item is rated on a 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 point scale, with a 1 describing absence of the given symptom. The CDRS-R yields a total score from 17 to 113 with a score of 40 or greater considered to symptomatic of depression. Scores of 35-40 indicate mild depression, 29-34 is borderline and \<28 is no depression.

Time frame: 6 weeks of treatment

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose GroupChildren's Depression Rating Scale32.56 score on a scaleStandard Error 1.44
Ziprasidone Slow Dose GroupChildren's Depression Rating Scale29.22 score on a scaleStandard Error 1.34
Secondary

Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) Scale

The CGI-S assesses clinical severity. The CGI-S is a seven point scale where 1 is the minimum value and 7 is the maximum value. Lower scores mean a better outcome. The CGI-Severity scale scores are: 1=normal, not at all ill; 2=borderline mentally ill; 3=mildly ill; 4=moderately ill; 5=markedly ill; 6=severely ill; 7=among the most extremely ill patients.

Time frame: 6 weeks of treatment

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose GroupClinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) Scale3.63 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.19
Ziprasidone Slow Dose GroupClinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) Scale3.36 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.18
Secondary

SAFTEE (Side Effects Rating Scale)

The Systematic Assessment for Treatment of Emergent Events (SAFTEE) is one of the first comprehensive Adverse effects-elicitation instruments developed specifically for use in psychiatric clinical trials. The SAFTEE is a standardized method, which increases consistency of Adverse Effects data, both within and across clinical trials.It allows ratings of five levels of severity and collects information about the onset, duration, pattern, judgement of attribution of cause, and action taken by the clinician. Suggested probe questions are also provided, which the clinician can use to elicit detailed information about the AE. Furthermore, the SAFTEE requires the clinician to determine a time interval of inquiry to be used in the trial. Adverse Effects are graded as None=0, Mild=1, Moderate=2, Severe=3.

Time frame: 6 weeks of treatment

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Ziprasidone Rapid Dose GroupSAFTEE (Side Effects Rating Scale)0.32 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.09
Ziprasidone Slow Dose GroupSAFTEE (Side Effects Rating Scale)0.46 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.08

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026