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CASAD for Severe Diarrhea in the Emergency Department

A Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial of Calcium Alumina-Silicate (CASAD) in the Treatment of Severe Diarrhea (Grade 3 or 4) in Cancer Patients Presenting for Emergency Care

Status
Terminated
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02018653
Enrollment
2
Registered
2013-12-23
Start date
2013-12-31
Completion date
2014-08-31
Last updated
2018-07-26

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

Conditions

Cancer, Diarrhea

Keywords

Cancer, Diarrhea, Calcium Alumina-Silicate, CASAD, Calcium Aluminosilicate anti-diarrheal, Placebo, Sugar pill, Questionnaire, Survey

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if calcium alumina-silicate (CASAD) can help to stop your diarrhea. Researchers also want to know if this drug can help decrease the duration of your diarrhea. In this study, CASAD will be compared to a placebo. A placebo is not a drug. It looks like the study drug but it is not designed to treat any disease or illness. It is designed in this study to be compared with the study drug to learn if the study drug has any real effect.

Detailed description

Study Groups: If you agree to take part in this study, you will be randomly assigned (as in the flip of a coin) to receive either CASAD orally or a placebo. You will have an equal chance of being assigned to either group. Neither you nor the study staff will know if you are receiving the study drug or the placebo. However, if needed for your safety, the study staff will be able to find out what you are receiving. Study Treatment: You take either CASAD or placebo by mouth every 6 hours with about 1 cup (8 oz.) of water. You will also be given other supportive care and treatment for diarrhea (such as imodium and lomotil). You will be asked to keep a journal, which includes a record of the time you take the study drug each day and a history of your bowel movements every day you take CASAD or placebo. Study Visits: Before the dose: * You will have a physical exam, including measurement of your vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and breathing rate) will be recorded. * You will be asked when your diarrhea started. * You will be asked about any drugs you have taken for the cancer and diarrhea. * A stool sample will be collected to test for toxins. * Blood (about 1 teaspoon) will be drawn to measure cytokines (proteins that may affect the immune system and inflammation) . * You will be asked about your diarrhea and other symptoms. It should take about 5 minutes to answer these questions. At the same visit after the dose: * You will have a physical exam, including measurement of your vital signs. * You will be asked about your diarrhea. * You will be asked if you have any side effects. On Day 1 (the day after your visit to the Emergency Center): -Blood (about 1 teaspoon) will be drawn to check your electrolytes and to measure cytokines and inflammation (optional). On Days 2-6 (this will be by phone or the staff will visit you if you are in the hospital): * You will be asked about your diarrhea. * You will be asked if you have any side effects. Length of Treatment: You will take the study drug or placebo for up to 6 days or when the diarrhea stops, whichever happens first. You will no longer be able to take the study drug or placebo if the diarrhea gets worse, if intolerable side effects occur, or if you are unable to follow study directions. Follow-Up: After you are off study, the study nurse will call you and ask if you have had any other side effects since finishing the study treatment. The phone call should only last about 5 minutes. If you are still an inpatient at the hospital, the study nurse may visit you and ask you these questions in person. At your next scheduled appointment at MD Anderson, the nurse will meet with you to get your final journal and any unused study drug. If you do not return to MD Anderson, you will receive a self-addressed stamped envelope for you to return this information. This is an investigational study. CASAD is FDA approved as a food additive, but it has not been approved to treat a disease. Its use to treat diarrhea is investigational. Up to 24 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at MD Anderson.

Interventions

DRUGCalcium Alumina-Silicate (CASAD)

1 gram by mouth every 6 hours for up to 6 days.

OTHERPlacebo

1 by mouth every 6 hours for up to 6 days.

BEHAVIORALQuestionnaire

Questionnaire completion at baseline about diarrhea and other symptoms.

Sponsors

Salient Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Cancer patients presenting to the EC or an acute care clinic for NCI grade \>/= 2 diarrhea 2. Able to understand the description of the study and give informed consent 3. Patients must be willing to and capable of providing frequent assessments for the duration of the study 4. English-speaking

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients will not be approached while they have : a) evidence of fever or severe abdominal pain, melena, overt blood in stool; b) any clinical suspicion or evidence of peritonitis or bowel perforation; c) s/p allogenic stem cell transplant 2. Patients will not be approached if the EC physician thinks that the diarrhea is due to Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Celiac disease, graft-versus-host disease, short-gut syndrome, neuroendocrine paraneoplastic syndromes (e.g., MEN, VIPomas, etc.), or malabsorption syndromes 3. Patients who are status post stem cell transplantation (both autologous or allogenic) 4. Patients who are status post immunotherapy (including those who are receiving or have received ipilimumab) 5. Patients participating in other clinical trials for diarrhea 6. Patients with a known allergy to any components of the CASAD formulation 7. Patients whose current medication schedule would not permit an approximate 2 hour window between administration of CASAD and other scheduled medications 8. Patients who cannot comply with medications 9. Patients taking any clay products 10. Patients with radiological evidence of megacolon, intraperitoneal free air, pneumatosis intestinalis, or fecal impaction 11. History of significant neurological or psychiatric disorders that would impede giving consent, treatment, or follow up 12. Patients who are pregnant 13. Patients less than 18 years of age

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to Resolution of Diarrhea (TTRD)6 daysThe primary endpoint is time to resolution of diarrhea (TTRD) defined as the time of the bowel movement that is not followed by another bowel movement within 8 hours. Participants will be evaluated for the primary endpoint for up to 6 days.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Recruitment Period: December 16, 2013 to August 1, 2014. All recruitment done at The University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Pre-assignment details

Clinical trial closed due to slow accrual.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Calcium Alumina-Silicate (CASAD)
CASAD 1 gram orally every 6 hours for up to 6 days.
1
Placebo
Placebo orally every 6 hours for up to 6 days.
1
Total2

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicCalcium Alumina-Silicate (CASAD)PlaceboTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
1 Participants1 Participants2 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
1 participants1 participants2 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 10 / 1
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 10 / 1

Outcome results

Primary

Time to Resolution of Diarrhea (TTRD)

The primary endpoint is time to resolution of diarrhea (TTRD) defined as the time of the bowel movement that is not followed by another bowel movement within 8 hours. Participants will be evaluated for the primary endpoint for up to 6 days.

Time frame: 6 days

Population: Too few subjects enrolled to make any conclusions.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Calcium Alumina-Silicate (CASAD)Time to Resolution of Diarrhea (TTRD)48 hours
PlaceboTime to Resolution of Diarrhea (TTRD)96 hours

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