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A Trial to Assess Brexpiprazole Versus Placebo for the Treatment of Acute Manic Episodes, Associated With Bipolar I Disorder

A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind Trial of Brexpiprazole Versus Placebo for the Acute Treatment Manic Episodes, With or Without Mixed Features, Associated With Bipolar I Disorder

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03257865
Enrollment
333
Registered
2017-08-22
Start date
2017-09-19
Completion date
2019-01-22
Last updated
2020-02-11

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

Conditions

Bipolar I Disorder, Manic Episode

Keywords

Brexpiprazole, Bipolar, Manic episode

Brief summary

To demonstrate the efficacy of brexpiprazole for the acute treatment of manic episodes, with or without mixed features, in participants with a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder.

Detailed description

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial of brexpiprazole versus placebo for the acute treatment of manic episodes, with or without mixed features, associated with bipolar I disorder. This study also demonstrated the safety and tolerability of brexpiprazole in the study population of males and females aged 18 to 65 years (inclusive, at time of consent).

Interventions

DRUGBrexpiprazole

Brexpiprazole was administered orally with flexible dosing from 2 to 4 mg/day; titrated to a maximum of 4 mg/day for 3 weeks.

DRUGPlacebo

Administered orally daily for 3 weeks.

Sponsors

H. Lundbeck A/S
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

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

Intervention model description

Participants received a dose of brexpiprazole or placebo for a maximum of 21 days and were evaluated throughout the duration of the study.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Male or female participants, ages 18 to 65 years, inclusive, at the time of informed consent. * Participants willing to discontinue all prohibited medications to meet protocol-required washouts prior to and during the trial period. * Participants with a Diagnostic & Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis of bipolar I disorder displaying an acute manic episode with or without mixed features requiring hospitalization. Diagnosis confirmed by the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and a history of at least one previous manic episode with or without mixed features with manic symptoms of sufficient severity to require one of the following interventions: hospitalization or treatment with a mood stabilizer, or treatment with an antipsychotic agent. Require was defined as an intervention that occurred rather than one that was recommended. * Young-mania rating scale (YMRS) score of ≥ 24 at screening and baseline

Exclusion criteria

* Sexually active male or women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) who did not agree to practice 2 different methods of birth control or remain abstinent during the trial and for 30 days after the last dose of investigational medicinal product (IMP). * Females who were breastfeeding and/or who had a positive pregnancy test result prior to receiving trial medication. * Participants considered unresponsive to clozapine or who were only responsive to clozapine. * Participants with a history of DSM-5 diagnosis other than bipolar I disorder, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, delirium, dementia, amnestic, or other cognitive disorders. Also, participants with borderline, paranoid, histrionic, schizotypal, schizoid, or antisocial personality disorder. All other current diagnoses must have been discussed with the medical monitor. * Participants whose current manic episode had lasted for more than 4 weeks overall, or who had required hospitalization \> 21 days for the current acute episode at the time of the screening visit, excluding hospitalization for psychosocial reasons. * Participant with manic symptoms better accounted for by another general medical condition or direct physiological effect of substance (for example, medications). * Participants who have had electroconvulsive treatment within the past 2 months. * Participants with a positive drug screen for cocaine or other illicit drugs. * Abnormal laboratory test results, vital signs or electrocardiogram findings, unless, based on investigator's judgment, the findings are not medically significant and would not impact the safety of the participant or the interpretation of the trial results. * Rapid cyclers with more than 6 episodes in the previous year. * Participants with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism (unless condition has been stabilized with medications for at least the past 90 days) or an abnormal result for free thyroxine at screening. * Participants with uncontrolled hypertension or symptomatic hypotension or orthostatic hypotension. * Participants with epilepsy or history of seizures. * Participants who participated in a clinical trial within the last 60 days or who participated in more than 2 clinical trials within the past year. * Use of psychotropic medications (other than benzodiazepines) within 7 days of the baseline YMRS. * Participants who currently had clinically significant neurological, hepatic, renal, metabolic, hematological, immunological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or gastrointestinal disorders * Participants who received brexpiprazole in any prior clinical trial or currently taking commercially available brexpiprazole (Rexulti).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change From Baseline In Young-Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) Score At Week 3Baseline, Week 3The YMRS was utilized to assess a participant's level of manic symptoms. It consists of 11 items: 1) elevated mood, 2) increased motor activity-energy, 3) sexual interest, 4) sleep, 5) irritability, 6) speech (rate and amount), 7) language-thought disorder, 8) content, 9) disruptive-aggressive behavior, 10) appearance, and 11) insight. Seven items are rated on a 0- to 4-scale, while four items (Items 5, 6, 8, and 9) are rated on a 0- to 8-scale with 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 being the possible scores (twice the weight of the other items). For all items, 0 is the best rating and the highest score (4 or 8) is the 'worst' rating. The YMRS total score is the sum of ratings for all 11 items; therefore, possible total scores range from 0 to 60, with higher scores signifying more severe manic symptoms. Comparison between treatment groups was carried out using mixed-effect model repeated measure (MRMM).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change From Baseline In Clinical Global Impression-Bipolar (CGI-BP) Severity Score In Mania At Week 3Baseline, Week 3The CGI-BP scale refers to the global impression of the participant with respect to bipolar disorder. The scale rates the participant's severity of illness (CGI-BP severity of illness: mania, depression, and overall bipolar illness) based on a 7-point scale: 1 = normal, not at all ill, 2 = minimally ill, 3 = mildly ill, 4 = moderately ill, 5 = markedly ill, 6 = severely ill, 7 = very severely ill.

Countries

Croatia, Ukraine, United States

Participant flow

Pre-assignment details

The trial population consisted of adult participants (18 to 65 years) diagnosed with bipolar I disorder displaying an acute manic episode with or without mixed features requiring hospitalization. One participant randomized to brexpiprazole was not treated and excluded from the safety analysis set.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Brexpiprazole
Brexpiprazole was administered orally with flexible dosing from 2 to 4 milligram (mg)/day; titrated to a maximum of 4 mg/day.
163
Placebo
Matching placebo was administered orally in the same way as brexpiprazole to maintain the blind.
170
Total333

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyAdverse Event48
Overall StudyLack of Efficacy12
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up44
Overall StudyNon-compliance with Study Drug02
Overall StudyOther01
Overall StudyPhysician Decision31
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject2317

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPlaceboTotalBrexpiprazole
Age, Continuous44.3 Years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12
44.5 Years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.4
44.6 Years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.7
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American
67 Participants137 Participants70 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic or Latino
17 Participants39 Participants22 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Not Hispanic or Latino
153 Participants293 Participants140 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other Ethnicity
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other Race
1 Participants3 Participants2 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
102 Participants192 Participants90 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
82 Participants167 Participants85 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
88 Participants166 Participants78 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 1620 / 170
other
Total, other adverse events
32 / 16228 / 170
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 1623 / 170

Outcome results

Primary

Change From Baseline In Young-Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) Score At Week 3

The YMRS was utilized to assess a participant's level of manic symptoms. It consists of 11 items: 1) elevated mood, 2) increased motor activity-energy, 3) sexual interest, 4) sleep, 5) irritability, 6) speech (rate and amount), 7) language-thought disorder, 8) content, 9) disruptive-aggressive behavior, 10) appearance, and 11) insight. Seven items are rated on a 0- to 4-scale, while four items (Items 5, 6, 8, and 9) are rated on a 0- to 8-scale with 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 being the possible scores (twice the weight of the other items). For all items, 0 is the best rating and the highest score (4 or 8) is the 'worst' rating. The YMRS total score is the sum of ratings for all 11 items; therefore, possible total scores range from 0 to 60, with higher scores signifying more severe manic symptoms. Comparison between treatment groups was carried out using mixed-effect model repeated measure (MRMM).

Time frame: Baseline, Week 3

Population: Full Analysis Set: all participants who received at least 1 dose of study drug and had a baseline value and at least 1 valid post-randomization efficacy evaluation for YMRS Total Score in the double-blind treatment phase at the specified timepoint.

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)Dispersion
BrexpiprazoleChange From Baseline In Young-Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) Score At Week 3-12.3 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.73
PlaceboChange From Baseline In Young-Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) Score At Week 3-10.7 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.71
p-value: =0.101195% CI: [-3.56, 0.32]mixed-effect model repeated measure
Secondary

Change From Baseline In Clinical Global Impression-Bipolar (CGI-BP) Severity Score In Mania At Week 3

The CGI-BP scale refers to the global impression of the participant with respect to bipolar disorder. The scale rates the participant's severity of illness (CGI-BP severity of illness: mania, depression, and overall bipolar illness) based on a 7-point scale: 1 = normal, not at all ill, 2 = minimally ill, 3 = mildly ill, 4 = moderately ill, 5 = markedly ill, 6 = severely ill, 7 = very severely ill.

Time frame: Baseline, Week 3

Population: Full Analysis Set: all participants who received at least 1 dose of study drug and had a baseline value and at least 1 valid post-randomization efficacy evaluation for YMRS Total Score in the double-blind treatment phase at the specified timepoint.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
BrexpiprazoleChange From Baseline In Clinical Global Impression-Bipolar (CGI-BP) Severity Score In Mania At Week 3-1.31 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.22
PlaceboChange From Baseline In Clinical Global Impression-Bipolar (CGI-BP) Severity Score In Mania At Week 3-1.06 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.09

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