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A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of CR845 in Hemodialysis Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Pruritus (KALM-1)

A Multicenter, Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous CR845 in Hemodialysis Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Pruritus, With a 52-Week Open Label Extension

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03422653
Enrollment
378
Registered
2018-02-06
Start date
2018-02-20
Completion date
2020-03-26
Last updated
2022-04-26

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

Conditions

Uremic Pruritus

Keywords

CR845, Pruritus, Chronic Itch, Itch, Itching, difelikefalin, Hemodialysis, Uremic Pruritus, Dialysis, CKD, CKD-associated pruritus, CKD-aP, ESRD (end stage renal disease), KALM, Chronic Kidney Disease, Kidney failure, chronic, Kidney dysfunction, Generalized pruritus

Brief summary

This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) CR845 at a dose of 0.5 mcg/kg administered after each dialysis session. The study includes a 12-week Double-blind Phase and a 52-week Open-label Extension Phase.

Detailed description

Double-blind Phase The Double-blind Phase of the study will consist of a Screening Visit, a 7-day Run-in Period, a 12 week Double-blind Treatment Period, and a 2-week Discontinuation Period. Informed consent will be obtained prior to performing any study-specific procedures. The Screening Visit will occur within 7 to 28 days prior to randomization to assess eligibility. Open-label Extension Phase Patients who received at least 30 doses of study drug (either active or placebo) during the 12-week Double-blind Treatment Period and continue to meet other eligibility criteria will have the option to receive open label CR845 for an additional 52 weeks. The Open-label Extension Phase will be comprised of the Open-label Treatment Period and the Follow-up Period. The last dose of open-label study drug will be administered at the last dialysis visit on Week 52, or Early Termination. A final safety Follow up Visit will be conducted 7-10 days after the End of Treatment/Early Termination Visit.

Interventions

IV medication delivered three times/week

DRUGPlacebo

IV medication delivered three times/week

Sponsors

Cara Therapeutics, Inc.
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

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

Key Inclusion Criteria: To be eligible for inclusion into the Double-blind Phase of the study, a patient must meet the following criteria: * Has end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and has been on hemodialysis 3 times per week for at least 3 months prior to the start of screening; * Has at least 2 single-pool Kt/V measurements ≥1.2, or at least 2 urea reduction ratio measurements ≥65%, or 1 single pool Kt/V measurement ≥1.2 and 1 urea reduction ratio measurement ≥65% on different dialysis days during the 3 months period prior to screening; * Prior to randomization: * Has completed Worst Itching Intensity NRS worksheets up to 8 days prior to 1st dose; * Has a mean baseline Worst Itching Intensity NRS indicative of moderate to severe uremic pruritus. * To be eligible for inclusion into the Open-label Extension Phase of the study, each patient will have to fulfill the additional key following criteria at the time of entry into the Open-label Extension Phase: * Has received at least 30 doses of the planned 36 doses of study drug during the Double-blind Phase of this study; * Continues to meet inclusion criteria. Key

Exclusion criteria

A patient will be excluded from the Double-blind Phase of the study if any of the following criteria are met: * Known noncompliance with dialysis treatment that in the opinion of the investigator would impede completion or validity of the study; * Scheduled to receive a kidney transplant during the study; * New or change of treatment received for itch including antihistamines and corticosteroids (oral, IV, or topical) within 14 days prior to screening; * Received another investigational drug within 30 days prior to the start of screening or is planning to participate in another clinical study while enrolled in this study; * Has pruritus only during the dialysis session (by patient report); * Is receiving ongoing ultraviolet B and anticipates receiving such treatment during the study; * Participated in a previous clinical study with CR845. * A patient will be excluded from the Open-label Extension Phase of the study if any of the additional key following criteria are met at the time of entry into the Open-label Extension Phase: * Completed the Double-blind Phase of this study but exhibited adverse events during the course of the Treatment Period that may preclude continued exposure to the study drug; * Was noncompliant with protocol procedures during the Double-blind Phase of this study which is indicative of an inability to follow protocol procedures.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Reduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥3 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) Score at Week 12Week 12Intensity of itch will be measured using an NRS used to indicate the intensity of the worst itching over the past 24 hours using a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale, where 0 represents no itching and 10 represents worst itching imaginable. LS means estimated percent, odds ratio and P value used a logistic regression model.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Improvement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in 5-D Itch Scale Score at the End of Week 12Baseline, Week 12The 5-D Itch Scale is a multidimensional questionnaire which assesses itch-related quality of life over the past 2 weeks. The questions cover five dimensions of itch including the degree, duration of itch/day, direction (improvement/worsening), disability (impact on activities such as work), and body distribution of itch. The 5-D Itch Scale has 5 questions; the total 5-D Itch Scale score ranges from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating worse responses.
Improvement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in Total Skindex-10 Scale Score at the End of Week 12Baseline, Week 12The Skindex-10 Scale is a multidimensional questionnaire which assesses itch-related quality of life over the past week. The questions cover 3 domains: disease, mood/emotional distress, and social functioning domain. The Skindex-10 has 10 questions; the total Skindex-10 score ranges from 0 to 60. A lower total score represents better quality of life.
Reduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥4 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity NRS Score at Week 12Week 12Intensity of itch will be measured using an NRS used to indicate the intensity of the worst itching over the past 24 hours using a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale, where 0 represents no itching and 10 represents worst itching imaginable. LS means estimated percent, odds ratio and P value used a logistic regression model.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Pre-assignment details

The study includes a Double-blind Phase, an Open-label Extension Phase, and a Follow-up Period. Patients who received at least 30 doses of study drug (either active or placebo) during the 12-week Double-blind Treatment Period and continue to meet other eligibility criteria will be eligible to receive open-label CR845 for an additional 52 weeks.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Double-blind CR845 0.5mcg/kg
IV CR845 0.5 mcg/kg administered after each dialysis session (3 times/week) CR845 0.5 mcg/kg: IV medication delivered three times/week
189
Double-blind Placebo
IV Placebo administered after each dialysis session (3 times/week) Placebo: IV medication delivered three times/week
189
Total378

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicDouble-blind PlaceboTotalDouble-blind CR845 0.5mcg/kg
Age, Continuous56.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.89
57.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.6
58.2 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.16
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
5 Participants11 Participants6 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
7 Participants13 Participants6 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
76 Participants158 Participants82 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
2 Participants3 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
4 Participants6 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
2 Participants3 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
93 Participants184 Participants91 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
70 Participants147 Participants77 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
119 Participants231 Participants112 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
EG002
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
2 / 1892 / 18822 / 313
other
Total, other adverse events
40 / 18930 / 188205 / 313
serious
Total, serious adverse events
49 / 18941 / 188167 / 313

Outcome results

Primary

Reduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥3 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) Score at Week 12

Intensity of itch will be measured using an NRS used to indicate the intensity of the worst itching over the past 24 hours using a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale, where 0 represents no itching and 10 represents worst itching imaginable. LS means estimated percent, odds ratio and P value used a logistic regression model.

Time frame: Week 12

Population: Data include one patient who had been randomly assigned to the placebo group and who withdrew from the trial before receiving the first dose of placebo.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
CR845 0.5mcg/kgReduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥3 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) Score at Week 1251.0 percentage of subjects
PlaceboReduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥3 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) Score at Week 1227.6 percentage of subjects
p-value: <0.00195% CI: [1.72, 4.3]Cui, Hung, Wang
Secondary

Improvement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in 5-D Itch Scale Score at the End of Week 12

The 5-D Itch Scale is a multidimensional questionnaire which assesses itch-related quality of life over the past 2 weeks. The questions cover five dimensions of itch including the degree, duration of itch/day, direction (improvement/worsening), disability (impact on activities such as work), and body distribution of itch. The 5-D Itch Scale has 5 questions; the total 5-D Itch Scale score ranges from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating worse responses.

Time frame: Baseline, Week 12

Population: Data include one patient who had been randomly assigned to the placebo group and who withdrew from the trial before receiving the first dose of placebo.

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)
CR845 0.5mcg/kgImprovement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in 5-D Itch Scale Score at the End of Week 12-5.0 score on a scale
PlaceboImprovement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in 5-D Itch Scale Score at the End of Week 12-3.7 score on a scale
p-value: <0.00195% CI: [-2, -0.5]ANCOVA
Secondary

Improvement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in Total Skindex-10 Scale Score at the End of Week 12

The Skindex-10 Scale is a multidimensional questionnaire which assesses itch-related quality of life over the past week. The questions cover 3 domains: disease, mood/emotional distress, and social functioning domain. The Skindex-10 has 10 questions; the total Skindex-10 score ranges from 0 to 60. A lower total score represents better quality of life.

Time frame: Baseline, Week 12

Population: Data include one patient who had been randomly assigned to the placebo group and who withdrew from the trial before receiving the first dose of placebo.

ArmMeasureValue (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN)
CR845 0.5mcg/kgImprovement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in Total Skindex-10 Scale Score at the End of Week 12-17.2 score on a scale
PlaceboImprovement in Itch-related Quality of Life as Assessed by the Change From Baseline in Total Skindex-10 Scale Score at the End of Week 12-12.0 score on a scale
p-value: <0.00195% CI: [-8, -2.3]ANCOVA
Secondary

Reduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥4 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity NRS Score at Week 12

Intensity of itch will be measured using an NRS used to indicate the intensity of the worst itching over the past 24 hours using a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale, where 0 represents no itching and 10 represents worst itching imaginable. LS means estimated percent, odds ratio and P value used a logistic regression model.

Time frame: Week 12

Population: Data include one patient who had been randomly assigned to the placebo group and who withdrew from the trial before receiving the first dose of placebo.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
CR845 0.5mcg/kgReduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥4 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity NRS Score at Week 1238.9 percentage of subjects
PlaceboReduction of Itch Intensity as Assessed by the Percentage of Patients Achieving an Improvement From Baseline ≥4 Points With Respect to the Weekly Mean of the Daily 24-hour Worst Itching Intensity NRS Score at Week 1218.0 percentage of subjects
p-value: <0.00195% CI: [1.75, 4.76]Cui, Hung, Wang

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 20, 2026