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HORIZANT (Gabapentin Enacarbil Extended-Release Tablets) for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of HORIZANT (Gabapentin Enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02252536
Enrollment
346
Registered
2014-09-30
Start date
2015-06-30
Completion date
2017-03-31
Last updated
2018-11-14

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

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Keywords

alcohol use disorder, alcoholism, alcohol dependence, drinking alcohol

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether gabapentin enacarbil is effective in the treatment of problems with alcohol.

Interventions

Horizant Extended Release Tablets, 600 mg, white to off-white, oval shaped tablets, taken 2 times per day

DRUGPlacebo

Placebo tablet, white to off-white, oval shaped tablets, taken 2 times per day

Sponsors

Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Lead SponsorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

Subjects must meet each one of the following inclusion criteria in order to be eligible for participation in the study: 1. Be at least 21 years of age. 2. Have a current (past 12 months) DSM-5 diagnosis of AUD. 3. Have a BAC by breathalyzer equal to 0.000 when s/he signed the informed consent document (either just prior to or immediately after signing consent). 4. Be seeking treatment for problems with alcohol. Additional will be evaluated in clinic.

Exclusion criteria

Evaluations will be conducted in clinic.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Subjects With no Heavy Drinking Days (PSNHDD)Weeks 22-25The primary objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of HORIZANT (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets 600 mg twice daily (BID) with matched placebo on the primary alcohol consumption outcome endpoint, percentage of subjects with no heavy drinking days (PSNHDD) during the last 4 weeks of treatment, among patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Subjects Abstinent From Alcohol (Key Secondary Endpoint)Weeks 22-25Timeline Follow-back drinking data is used to calculate the % of subjects that report not drinking alcohol during weeks 22-25
Percentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 1-levelWeeks 22-25Timeline Follow Back data is used to calculate the % of participants that decrease at least 1-level WHO drinking risk category. The WHO has developed a drinking risk categorical scale that can be used in a responder analysis approach to assess clinically relevant decreases in alcohol consumption (Aubin et al-2015). The WHO 1- and 2-level decrease endpoints are the percentage of subjects experiencing at least 1- and 2-level decrease in WHO levels of alcohol consumption, respectively, from the level at baseline (the period including the 28 days before screening) to the level during the last 4 weeks of the maintenance phase (Study Weeks 22-25). The WHO levels are as follows: Males Females Low Risk 1 to 40g 1 to 20g Medium Risk 41 to 60g 21 to 40g High Risk 61 to 100g 41 to 60g Very High Risk 101+g 61+g
Percentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 2-levelsWeeks 22-25Timeline Follow Back data is used to calculate the % of participants that decrease at least 1-level WHO drinking risk category. The WHO has developed a drinking risk categorical scale that can be used in a responder analysis approach to assess clinically relevant decreases in alcohol consumption (Aubin et al-2015). The WHO 1- and 2-level decrease endpoints are the percentage of subjects experiencing at least 1- and 2-level decrease in WHO levels of alcohol consumption, respectively, from the level at baseline (the period including the 28 days before screening) to the level during the last 4 weeks of the maintenance phase (Study Weeks 22-25). The WHO levels are as follows: Males Females Low Risk 1 to 40g 1 to 20g Medium Risk 41 to 60g 21 to 40g High Risk 61 to 100g 41 to 60g Very High Risk 101+g 61+g
Percentage of Days Abstinent Per WeekWeeks 22-25Timeline Follow Back daily drinking data used to calculate the % of days abstinent per week.
Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Per WeekWeeks 22-25Timeline Follow Back data used to calculate the % of heavy drinking days per week. Heavy drinking is 4+ drinks per day for females and 5+ drinks per day for males
Weekly Mean Number of Drinks Per WeekWeeks 22-25Timeline Follow Back data used to calculate the weekly mean number of drinks per week
Weekly Mean Drinks Per Drinking DayWeeks 22-25Timeline Follow Back daily drinking data used to calculate the weekly mean drinks per drinking day
Cigarettes Per Week Among SmokersWeeks 22-25A quantity frequency interview of three questions to assess cigarette smoking behavior and other tobacco/nicotine containing products use during the study: 1) Over the past week, on how many days did you smoke cigarettes?, 2) On the days you smoked during the past week, how many cigarettes did you smoke on average?, and 3) Have you used any other tobacco or nicotine containing products besides cigarettes in the past week (e.g., cigars, cigarellos, pipes, bidis, or smokeless tobacco such as pan, chewing tobacco, or snuff, or nicotine replacement therapies such as patch or gum)?.
Alcohol Craving Score [Alcohol Craving Scale - Short Form (ACQ-SR-R)]Weeks 24 and 26The ACQ-SR-R contains 12-items adapted from the 47-item ACQ-NOW developed by Singleton et al (1994) to assess craving for alcohol among alcohol users in the current context (right now). Each item has a 1 to 7 raw score (from strongly disagree to strongly agree). Items 3, 8, and 11 are reverse keyed. A general craving index is derived by summing all items and dividing by 12. Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 7. Higher scores are indicative of higher craving. Mixed effects models as stated in Section 9.4.3 of the SAP will be generated for the total score and for the 4 subscales. Covariates for these models will be identified
Alcohol Related Consequences (ImBIBe) ScoreWeeks 24 and 26ImBIBe is a 15-item questionnaire in which the subject responds on a 5-point scale (0-4) responses to questions on the consequences of alcohol use. This scale was adapted from the Drinker Inventory of Consequences questionnaire based on FDA recommendations on patient reported outcomes (Miller & Tonigen-1995). The potential range is 0-60. A higher score indicates a worse outcome. The questions are added together. A question that is missing is imputed with the average value of all other questions in the questionnaire.The total score is the sum of the individual item scores. Mixed effects models as stated in Section 9.4.3 will be generated for the total score. Covariates for these models will be identified
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) ScoreWeek 26The PSQI is a 19-item questionnaire assessing the subject's overall sleep experience in the past 30 days (Buysse et al-1989). The lower the overall score, the better the person sleeps. The tool has an adequate internal reliability, validity and consistency for clinical and community samples of the various populations. Range is (0-21); \>6 indicative of poor sleep quality.
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) ScoreWeek 26The BAI consists of 21 questions about how the subject has been feeling in the last week, expressed as common symptoms of anxiety (such as numbness and tingling, sweating not due to heat, and fear of the worst happening). This inventory was designed to minimize the overlap with depression scales (Beck et al-1988).The BAI has a maximum score of 63. The standardized cutoffs for anxiety severity are: 0-7: minimal level of anxiety 8-15: mild anxiety 16-25: moderate anxiety 26-63: severe anxiety
Beck Depression Inventory - IIWeek 26The BDI-II is a 21-item multiple choice questionnaire that is used for measuring the severity of depression (Beck et al-1966). Each item is scored on a scale value of 0 to 3. The standardized cutoffs for depression severity are: 0-13: minimal depression 14-19: mild depression 20-28: moderate depression 29-63: severe depression

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

The study was a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel-group 26-week treatment clinical trial. Candidates responded by telephone to advertisements at 10 academic sites in the US between June 2015 and February 2017.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Sugar Pill
Matching placebo, sugar pill Placebo: Placebo tablet, white to off-white, oval shaped tablets, taken 2 times per day
168
Gabapentin Enacarbil
600 mg Gabapentin Enacarbil (Horizant) gabapentin enacarbil: Horizant Extended Release Tablets, 600 mg, white to off-white, oval shaped tablets, taken 2 times per day
170
Total338

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up53

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicSugar PillTotalGabapentin Enacarbil
Age, Continuous49.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.4
50.1 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.8
50.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.3
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
18 Participants32 Participants14 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
146 Participants296 Participants150 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
4 Participants10 Participants6 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
2 Participants3 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants3 Participants3 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
28 Participants63 Participants35 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
10 Participants19 Participants9 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
2 Participants7 Participants5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
126 Participants243 Participants117 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
168 Participants338 Participants170 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
67 Participants115 Participants48 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
101 Participants223 Participants122 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 1681 / 170
other
Total, other adverse events
155 / 168157 / 170
serious
Total, serious adverse events
6 / 1688 / 170

Outcome results

Primary

Percentage of Subjects With no Heavy Drinking Days (PSNHDD)

The primary objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of HORIZANT (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets 600 mg twice daily (BID) with matched placebo on the primary alcohol consumption outcome endpoint, percentage of subjects with no heavy drinking days (PSNHDD) during the last 4 weeks of treatment, among patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Sugar PillPercentage of Subjects With no Heavy Drinking Days (PSNHDD)17.3 percentage of subjects with NHDD
Gabapentin EnacarbilPercentage of Subjects With no Heavy Drinking Days (PSNHDD)24.1 percentage of subjects with NHDD
Secondary

Alcohol Craving Score [Alcohol Craving Scale - Short Form (ACQ-SR-R)]

The ACQ-SR-R contains 12-items adapted from the 47-item ACQ-NOW developed by Singleton et al (1994) to assess craving for alcohol among alcohol users in the current context (right now). Each item has a 1 to 7 raw score (from strongly disagree to strongly agree). Items 3, 8, and 11 are reverse keyed. A general craving index is derived by summing all items and dividing by 12. Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 7. Higher scores are indicative of higher craving. Mixed effects models as stated in Section 9.4.3 of the SAP will be generated for the total score and for the 4 subscales. Covariates for these models will be identified

Time frame: Weeks 24 and 26

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillAlcohol Craving Score [Alcohol Craving Scale - Short Form (ACQ-SR-R)]2.5 scores on a scaleStandard Error 0.1
Gabapentin EnacarbilAlcohol Craving Score [Alcohol Craving Scale - Short Form (ACQ-SR-R)]2.5 scores on a scaleStandard Error 0.1
Secondary

Alcohol Related Consequences (ImBIBe) Score

ImBIBe is a 15-item questionnaire in which the subject responds on a 5-point scale (0-4) responses to questions on the consequences of alcohol use. This scale was adapted from the Drinker Inventory of Consequences questionnaire based on FDA recommendations on patient reported outcomes (Miller & Tonigen-1995). The potential range is 0-60. A higher score indicates a worse outcome. The questions are added together. A question that is missing is imputed with the average value of all other questions in the questionnaire.The total score is the sum of the individual item scores. Mixed effects models as stated in Section 9.4.3 will be generated for the total score. Covariates for these models will be identified

Time frame: Weeks 24 and 26

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillAlcohol Related Consequences (ImBIBe) Score8.3 total scoreStandard Error 0.7
Gabapentin EnacarbilAlcohol Related Consequences (ImBIBe) Score9.6 total scoreStandard Error 0.7
Secondary

Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) Score

The BAI consists of 21 questions about how the subject has been feeling in the last week, expressed as common symptoms of anxiety (such as numbness and tingling, sweating not due to heat, and fear of the worst happening). This inventory was designed to minimize the overlap with depression scales (Beck et al-1988).The BAI has a maximum score of 63. The standardized cutoffs for anxiety severity are: 0-7: minimal level of anxiety 8-15: mild anxiety 16-25: moderate anxiety 26-63: severe anxiety

Time frame: Week 26

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillBeck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) Score3.3 scoreStandard Error 0.5
Gabapentin EnacarbilBeck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) Score4.6 scoreStandard Error 0.4
Secondary

Beck Depression Inventory - II

The BDI-II is a 21-item multiple choice questionnaire that is used for measuring the severity of depression (Beck et al-1966). Each item is scored on a scale value of 0 to 3. The standardized cutoffs for depression severity are: 0-13: minimal depression 14-19: mild depression 20-28: moderate depression 29-63: severe depression

Time frame: Week 26

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillBeck Depression Inventory - II5.2 scoreStandard Error 0.5
Gabapentin EnacarbilBeck Depression Inventory - II6.5 scoreStandard Error 0.5
Secondary

Cigarettes Per Week Among Smokers

A quantity frequency interview of three questions to assess cigarette smoking behavior and other tobacco/nicotine containing products use during the study: 1) Over the past week, on how many days did you smoke cigarettes?, 2) On the days you smoked during the past week, how many cigarettes did you smoke on average?, and 3) Have you used any other tobacco or nicotine containing products besides cigarettes in the past week (e.g., cigars, cigarellos, pipes, bidis, or smokeless tobacco such as pan, chewing tobacco, or snuff, or nicotine replacement therapies such as patch or gum)?.

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillCigarettes Per Week Among Smokers61.4 cigarettes per weekStandard Error 8.3
Gabapentin EnacarbilCigarettes Per Week Among Smokers71 cigarettes per weekStandard Error 8.3
Secondary

Percentage of Days Abstinent Per Week

Timeline Follow Back daily drinking data used to calculate the % of days abstinent per week.

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillPercentage of Days Abstinent Per Week49 percentage of daysStandard Error 3.9
Gabapentin EnacarbilPercentage of Days Abstinent Per Week49.3 percentage of daysStandard Error 3.9
Secondary

Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Per Week

Timeline Follow Back data used to calculate the % of heavy drinking days per week. Heavy drinking is 4+ drinks per day for females and 5+ drinks per day for males

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillPercentage of Heavy Drinking Days Per Week46.5 percentage of daysStandard Error 4.2
Gabapentin EnacarbilPercentage of Heavy Drinking Days Per Week43.1 percentage of daysStandard Error 4.1
Secondary

Percentage of Subjects Abstinent From Alcohol (Key Secondary Endpoint)

Timeline Follow-back drinking data is used to calculate the % of subjects that report not drinking alcohol during weeks 22-25

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

Population: no imputation was performed so the number analyzed is reduced

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Sugar PillPercentage of Subjects Abstinent From Alcohol (Key Secondary Endpoint)16 Participants
Gabapentin EnacarbilPercentage of Subjects Abstinent From Alcohol (Key Secondary Endpoint)17 Participants
Secondary

Percentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 1-level

Timeline Follow Back data is used to calculate the % of participants that decrease at least 1-level WHO drinking risk category. The WHO has developed a drinking risk categorical scale that can be used in a responder analysis approach to assess clinically relevant decreases in alcohol consumption (Aubin et al-2015). The WHO 1- and 2-level decrease endpoints are the percentage of subjects experiencing at least 1- and 2-level decrease in WHO levels of alcohol consumption, respectively, from the level at baseline (the period including the 28 days before screening) to the level during the last 4 weeks of the maintenance phase (Study Weeks 22-25). The WHO levels are as follows: Males Females Low Risk 1 to 40g 1 to 20g Medium Risk 41 to 60g 21 to 40g High Risk 61 to 100g 41 to 60g Very High Risk 101+g 61+g

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Sugar PillPercentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 1-level107 Participants
Gabapentin EnacarbilPercentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 1-level115 Participants
Secondary

Percentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 2-levels

Timeline Follow Back data is used to calculate the % of participants that decrease at least 1-level WHO drinking risk category. The WHO has developed a drinking risk categorical scale that can be used in a responder analysis approach to assess clinically relevant decreases in alcohol consumption (Aubin et al-2015). The WHO 1- and 2-level decrease endpoints are the percentage of subjects experiencing at least 1- and 2-level decrease in WHO levels of alcohol consumption, respectively, from the level at baseline (the period including the 28 days before screening) to the level during the last 4 weeks of the maintenance phase (Study Weeks 22-25). The WHO levels are as follows: Males Females Low Risk 1 to 40g 1 to 20g Medium Risk 41 to 60g 21 to 40g High Risk 61 to 100g 41 to 60g Very High Risk 101+g 61+g

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Sugar PillPercentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 2-levels69 Participants
Gabapentin EnacarbilPercentage of Subjects With a World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease of at Least 2-levels80 Participants
Secondary

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score

The PSQI is a 19-item questionnaire assessing the subject's overall sleep experience in the past 30 days (Buysse et al-1989). The lower the overall score, the better the person sleeps. The tool has an adequate internal reliability, validity and consistency for clinical and community samples of the various populations. Range is (0-21); \>6 indicative of poor sleep quality.

Time frame: Week 26

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillPittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score4.4 scoreStandard Error 0.2
Gabapentin EnacarbilPittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score4.9 scoreStandard Error 0.2
Secondary

Weekly Mean Drinks Per Drinking Day

Timeline Follow Back daily drinking data used to calculate the weekly mean drinks per drinking day

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillWeekly Mean Drinks Per Drinking Day3.9 drinks per drinking dayStandard Error 0.4
Gabapentin EnacarbilWeekly Mean Drinks Per Drinking Day4.1 drinks per drinking dayStandard Error 0.4
Secondary

Weekly Mean Number of Drinks Per Week

Timeline Follow Back data used to calculate the weekly mean number of drinks per week

Time frame: Weeks 22-25

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
Sugar PillWeekly Mean Number of Drinks Per Week21.4 drinks per weekStandard Error 2.4
Gabapentin EnacarbilWeekly Mean Number of Drinks Per Week23.1 drinks per weekStandard Error 2.3

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