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Treatment With Lorcaserin for Cocaine Use: The TLC Study

Treatment With Lorcaserin for Cocaine Use: The TLC Study

Status
Terminated
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03192995
Acronym
TLC
Enrollment
22
Registered
2017-06-20
Start date
2018-01-01
Completion date
2020-06-30
Last updated
2023-08-14

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

Conditions

Cocaine Use Disorder

Keywords

HIV, sexual behavior

Brief summary

This project is a placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized trial evaluating the feasibility, tolerability, acceptability and adherence for lorcaserin among actively using, men who have sex with men (MSM) with cocaine use disorders.The study will enroll 45 individuals who will randomly be assigned to either the treatment (lorcaserin) arm or the placebo arm, to be taken twice a day for 12 weeks.

Detailed description

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week parallel group pilot study with 2:1 random assignment to 20 mg of extended-release oral lorcaserin versus placebo. Participants are recruited via street outreach, recruitment flyers, sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV clinics, needle exchanges, community organizations, MSM bars, online Web sites, and social media. Potential participants complete a brief telephone screen to assess initial eligibility and, if eligible, are scheduled for an in-person screening visit. All participants give informed consent using University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved consent forms. A 10-item true/false questionnaire is used to verify participants' understanding of the trial. The target sample size for the study was 45 participants (The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) closed down the study early due to a long-term safety study showing that long term use of lorcaserin could be hazardous to your health). Only 22 of the 45 participants were randomized to the study. With the proposed sample size, we estimate that proportions for our feasibility and acceptability outcomes would be estimated within margins of sampling error (Mean squared error (MSEs); i.e., half widths of 95% confidence intervals) of ≤14.4 percentage points, and means with MSEs of 0.30 standard deviations, both typical for a small pilot study. Participants are screened for eligibility based on inclusion criteria. At Enrollment, participants are instructed to take one pill each day of extended-release lorcaserin 20mg or placebo. Medications are dispensed in bottles with Medication Events Monitoring (MEMS) caps, which are wireless medication monitoring devices that record each opening as a real-time medication event. All participants are asked about potential adverse events at each follow-up visit; symptom-driven physical exams and safety laboratory monitoring are done at weeks 4, 8, and 12. Adverse events are classified using the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) Table for Grading Severity of Adult Adverse Experiences for HIV Prevention Trials Network. Participants are seen every week for substance use counseling and urine tests for cocaine metabolites. Trained staff, supervised by a clinical psychologist, administered brief (20-30 minutes) substance use counseling at follow-up visits. Audio-computer assisted self-interviews (ACASI) are used to standardize data collection and minimize reporting bias. Standardized measures are used to assess drug and alcohol use using timeline followback, substance use treatment, craving and severity of cocaine dependence, and sexual risk behavior. Acceptability measures include questions on attitudes about trial participation, level of satisfaction with trial procedures, and trial medication.

Interventions

DRUGlorcaserin

lorcaserin 20 mg tablet

DRUGPlacebo Oral Tablet

placebo 20 mg. tablet

BEHAVIORALSubstance use counseling

Manual-driven psychosocial substance use counseling program using cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing techniques and incorporating the Stages of Change Model.

BEHAVIORALACASI

Audio-computer assisted self-interviews (ACASI) is a self-administered standardized questionnaire on substance and alcohol use, substance use treatment, sexual risk behavior, partnership sexual risk, and

DIAGNOSTIC_TESTCocaine metabolites

Rapid qualitative urine test Medtox Verdict II (Medtox Diagnostics, Burlington, NC) and tamper-evident sweat patches (PharmChek®, PharmChem, Inc., Fort Worth, Tx)

EMA are questions sent to the participant 4-5 times a day to determine real-time behavior and participant experiences.

BEHAVIORALBalloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

BART is a computerized measure of risk taking behavior. The BART models real-world risk behavior through the conceptual frame of balancing the potential for reward versus loss. This is a test for impulsivity.

BEHAVIORALQualitative Exit Interview

The qualitative exit interview assessed acceptability measures and included questions on attitudes about trial participation, level of satisfaction with trial procedures, and trial medication.

Sponsors

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CollaboratorNIH
Glenn-Milo Santos
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

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

Intervention model description

12-week parallel group pilot study with 2:1 random assignment to 20 mg of extended-release oral lorcaserin versus placebo

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Male gender assigned at birth and transgender men; * self-reported anal intercourse with men in the prior six months while under the influence of cocaine; * cocaine use disorder by (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-V) and Structured clinical interviews (SCID) criteria; * current cocaine use confirmed by urinalysis and cocaine use at least 15 days in the past 30 days; * HIV-negative by rapid test or HIV-positive with a medical record of HIV infection; * no current acute illnesses requiring prolonged medical care; * no chronic illnesses that are likely to progress clinically during trial; * able and willing to provide informed consent and adhere to visit schedule; * age 18-65 years; * baseline complete blood count (CBC), total protein, albumin, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), and electrolytes without clinically significant abnormalities as determined by study clinician in conjunction with symptoms, physical exam, and medical history

Exclusion criteria

* Any psychiatric condition (e.g., depression with suicidal ideation, schizophrenia) or medical condition that would preclude safe study participation; * HIV-positive test result at screening visit but previously unaware of HIV infection (i.e., newly diagnosed with HIV infection at screening; those with a medical record of HIV infection are eligible); * any moderate to severe alcohol or substance use disorders (other than cocaine use disorders), according to DSM-V criteria; * known allergy or previous adverse reaction to lorcaserin; * current T-cell count (CD4) count \< 200 cells/mm3 ; * moderate/sever liver disease (Aspartate Transferase (AST), Alanine Transaminase (ALT) \> 3 times upper limit or normal); * severely impaired renal function (creatinine clearance £ 30 ml/min); * use of medications that affect the serotonergic neurotransmitter system (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)); * predisposition to priapism; * currently participating in another longitudinal intervention research study; * body mass index (BMI) \< 15; or ≥ 30 with desire to use weight management medication, or BMI \> 35; * anticipated use of agents that are associated with valvulopathy and/or pulmonary hypertension * Are currently treated with an opiate-substitute (buprenorphine or methadone) maintenance treatment or received therapy with any opiate-substitute within 30 days preceding screening * Currently in court-mandated cocaine use treatment; * Had previous history of suicidal behavior in the last 12 months (yes answer to the suicidal behavior question 6 of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)); or currently have suicidal ideation as determined by 'yes' answers to questions 4 or 5 on the C-SSRS administered by a study clinician; * Any physical condition affecting drug absorption (e.g., gastrectomy); * 12-lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrating Corrected QT interval (QTc) \> 450 or a Q wave, R wave and S wave (QRS) interval \> 120 msec at screening. If Fridericia (QTcF) exceeds 450 msec, or QRS exceeds 120 msec, the ECG should be repeated two more times and the average of the three QTc values should be used to determine the subject's eligibility. (Note: Participants newly diagnosed with HIV at screening who consent to be contacted for re-screening will be called in the subsequent month, or later, depending on participant preference).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean Percentage of Weekly Follow-up Visits of Randomized Study Participants12 weeksTo determine the feasibility of retaining individuals on lorcaserin vs. placebo, the investigators have calculated the mean weekly percentage of follow-up visits of those randomized in the study
Adverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)12 weeksTo explore the tolerability of lorcaserin vs. placebo the investigators will compute the number of adverse events, both overall and by type. A participant could have more than one AE.
Cumulative Percent Adherence of Medication Events Monitoring (MEMs) Cap12 weeksTo evaluate the adherence of lorcaserin vs. placebo, the investigators measured adherence as the frequency of taking the study drug as measured by the number of MEMS cap openings (wireless medication monitoring devices that record each opening as a real-time medication event). Cumulative percent adherence was calculated by dividing the frequency of openings at a given time point divided by the number of days since baseline.
Proportion of Self-reported Past Week Cocaine Use Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at 12 Weeks12 weeksThe outcome measure determines the proportion of self-reported past week cocaine use by Time-Line-Follow-back (TLFB) among lorcaserin and placebo groups at Baseline and at 12 weeks.
Proportion of Urine-positive Samples With Cocaine Positivity Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at Week 12Week 12The outcome measure determines the proportion of urine-positive samples with cocaine positivity among lorcaserin and placebo groups at Baseline and at Week 12

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Pre-assignment details

On 2/13/2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert after concluding the assessment of the long-term safety of lorcaserin in CAMELLIA clinical trial among 6,000 participants who took lorcaserin for over 4.3 years and were overweight or obese, with cardiovascular disease. The analysis showed an increased risk of cancer. In response to the safety alert, active participants in our study were instructed to stop study medication use and informed of the FDA safety alert.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Treatment
lorcaserin, extended release lorcaserin: lorcaserin 20 mg tablet
16
Control
Placebo Placebo Oral Tablet: placebo 20 mg. tablet
6
Total22

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicTreatmentControlTotal
Age, Continuous36 years40 years39 years
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
1 Participants2 Participants3 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
15 Participants4 Participants19 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Ever Received Cocaine Treatment6 Participants2 Participants8 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
5 Participants0 Participants5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
3 Participants4 Participants7 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
7 Participants2 Participants9 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
16 participants6 participants22 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
16 Participants6 Participants22 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 160 / 6
other
Total, other adverse events
16 / 166 / 6
serious
Total, serious adverse events
1 / 161 / 6

Outcome results

Primary

Adverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)

To explore the tolerability of lorcaserin vs. placebo the investigators will compute the number of adverse events, both overall and by type. A participant could have more than one AE.

Time frame: 12 weeks

ArmMeasureCategoryValue (COUNT_OF_UNITS)
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Hyperglycemia3 Adverse Events
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Coughing2 Adverse Events
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Abdominal Pain2 Adverse Events
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Rash3 Adverse Events
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Diarrhea3 Adverse Events
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Other2 Adverse Events
Control GroupAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Diarrhea0 Adverse Events
Control GroupAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Hyperglycemia1 Adverse Events
Control GroupAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Rash0 Adverse Events
Control GroupAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Coughing1 Adverse Events
Control GroupAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Other4 Adverse Events
Control GroupAdverse Clinical Events in the Lorcaserin and Placebo Arms (Descriptive)Abdominal Pain1 Adverse Events
p-value: 0.53Fisher Exact
Primary

Cumulative Percent Adherence of Medication Events Monitoring (MEMs) Cap

To evaluate the adherence of lorcaserin vs. placebo, the investigators measured adherence as the frequency of taking the study drug as measured by the number of MEMS cap openings (wireless medication monitoring devices that record each opening as a real-time medication event). Cumulative percent adherence was calculated by dividing the frequency of openings at a given time point divided by the number of days since baseline.

Time frame: 12 weeks

Population: MEMS Cap openings will track daily adherence; each dispenser opening is recorded as a medication event sent to a remote database in real time. The MEMs Cap openings will be calculated as the proportion of MEMs Cap opening over the number of days since enrollment.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsCumulative Percent Adherence of Medication Events Monitoring (MEMs) Cap51.6 percent adherenceStandard Deviation 27.7
Control GroupCumulative Percent Adherence of Medication Events Monitoring (MEMs) Cap66.2 percent adherenceStandard Deviation 21.7
p-value: 0.32Fisher Exact
Primary

Mean Percentage of Weekly Follow-up Visits of Randomized Study Participants

To determine the feasibility of retaining individuals on lorcaserin vs. placebo, the investigators have calculated the mean weekly percentage of follow-up visits of those randomized in the study

Time frame: 12 weeks

Population: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an early termination of this study after concluding the assessment in the long-term safety of lorcaserin in another clinical trial among obese, cardiovascular patients who had been taking lorcaserin for an average of 4.3 years. At the time of early termination, we had enrolled a total of 22 participants and this is why the overall number varies for this analysis.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsMean Percentage of Weekly Follow-up Visits of Randomized Study ParticipantsTreatment Group83 mean percent of visit retentionStandard Deviation 22
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsMean Percentage of Weekly Follow-up Visits of Randomized Study ParticipantsControl Group81 mean percent of visit retentionStandard Deviation 26
p-value: 0.91Fisher Exact
Primary

Proportion of Self-reported Past Week Cocaine Use Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at 12 Weeks

The outcome measure determines the proportion of self-reported past week cocaine use by Time-Line-Follow-back (TLFB) among lorcaserin and placebo groups at Baseline and at 12 weeks.

Time frame: 12 weeks

Population: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an early termination of this study after concluding the assessment in the long-term safety of lorcaserin in another clinical trial among obese, cardiovascular patients who had been taking lorcaserin for an average of 4.3 years. At the time of early termination, we had enrolled a total of 22 participants and this is why the overall number varies for this analysis.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsProportion of Self-reported Past Week Cocaine Use Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at 12 WeeksProportion of self-reported weekly cocaine use by Time-Line-Follow-Up (TLFU) at baseline12 Participants
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsProportion of Self-reported Past Week Cocaine Use Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at 12 WeeksProportion of self-reported weekly cocaine use by TLFU at Week 127 Participants
Control GroupProportion of Self-reported Past Week Cocaine Use Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at 12 WeeksProportion of self-reported weekly cocaine use by Time-Line-Follow-Up (TLFU) at baseline6 Participants
Control GroupProportion of Self-reported Past Week Cocaine Use Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at 12 WeeksProportion of self-reported weekly cocaine use by TLFU at Week 126 Participants
p-value: 0.541Fisher Exact
Primary

Proportion of Urine-positive Samples With Cocaine Positivity Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at Week 12

The outcome measure determines the proportion of urine-positive samples with cocaine positivity among lorcaserin and placebo groups at Baseline and at Week 12

Time frame: Week 12

Population: At baseline, we had 16 participants in the lorcaserin arm and 6 in the placebo arm. 8 participants in the lorcaserin arm and no participants in the placebo arm tested positive for cocaine use disorder cocaine use disorder (CUD). At week 12, four participants lost to follow-up (LTFU) in the lorcaserin arm and 1 LTFU in the placebo arm, thus causing a difference in the overall number analyzed at week 12.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsProportion of Urine-positive Samples With Cocaine Positivity Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at Week 12Urine positive samples with cocaine use at baseline8 Participants
Mean Percent of Weekly Follow-up Visits by Treatment and Control ArmsProportion of Urine-positive Samples With Cocaine Positivity Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at Week 12Urine positive samples with cocaine use at Week 127 Participants
Control GroupProportion of Urine-positive Samples With Cocaine Positivity Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at Week 12Urine positive samples with cocaine use at baseline0 Participants
Control GroupProportion of Urine-positive Samples With Cocaine Positivity Among Lorcaserin and Placebo Groups at Baseline and at Week 12Urine positive samples with cocaine use at Week 121 Participants
95% CI: [0.24, 3.82]

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 14, 2026