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Nasal Obstruction With Oxymetazoline and Corticosteroids

Nasal Obstruction Randomized Trial With Oxymetazoline and Corticosteroids

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06830109
Acronym
NORTOC
Enrollment
80
Registered
2025-02-17
Start date
2024-10-15
Completion date
2026-12-30
Last updated
2025-09-11

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

Conditions

Nasal Obstruction

Keywords

Oxymetazoline, Corticosteroids, Chronic rhinitis

Brief summary

This study aims to examine the efficacy and safety of commination oxymetazoline/intranasal steroids for long-term management of chronic nasal obstruction that is recalcitrant to the current standard of care. The investigators hypothesize that combination treatment with oxymetazoline and intranasal corticosteroid spray will provide a larger reduction in nasal obstruction than intranasal corticosteroid alone for patients suffering from chronic nasal obstruction, and there will not be occurrences of rhinitis medicamentosa.

Detailed description

Participants will be directed to apply the intranasal spray, at a dosage of two sprays in each nostril, twice daily. The total treatment time for participants in both trial arms is 7 weeks. Participants will be randomized to either 1) oxymetazoline + budesonide intranasal spray or 2) budesonide intranasal spray. Participants will be mailed the intranasal spray directly from the pharmacy. Participants will complete questionnaires via REDCap survey link at baseline, Week 2, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, and Week 7. A group of 10 participants will be asked to have nasal mucosal biopsies done at baseline and between weeks 4 and 6.

Interventions

Intra-nasal alpha-adrenergic agonist and vasoconstrictor that is available over-the-counter (OTC)

Intranasal corticosteroid that is available over-the-counter (OTC)

Sponsors

Washington University School of Medicine
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

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

Masking description

The participant and the research team will be unaware of the participant's intervention assignment.

Intervention model description

Single-center, double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial conducted at Washington University School of Medicine

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

1. males and females ages 18 years or older 2. have a history of nasal obstruction 3. have failed a trial of topical steroids (that included at least 1 month of daily use) 4. ability to read, write, and understand English 5. either do not desire surgery or are poor surgical candidates due to medical comorbidities. 6. Patients who have had prior use of oxymetazoline or other nasal decongestants are eligible for the study but must have stopped usage 4 weeks prior to randomization. 1. Must be willing to stop using any other nasal sprays, besides saline, and oral decongestants.

Exclusion criteria

1. Any history of sinonasal mass/tumor 2. Any history of nasal polyps 3. a known history of chronic sinusitis 4. an allergy to oxymetazoline 5. or who have any medical contraindication to oxymetazoline use, such as pulmonary hypertension.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Rate of Responders4 weeksThe primary outcome measure will be the rate of responders (as a percentage) to the intervention defined as the number of participants reporting 2 (Moderately Improved), or 3 (Much Improved) in the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) assessed after 4 weeks of treatment divided by the total number of participants in each study group. CGI-I asks subjects to rate their overall response to treatment using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from -3 to 3 (Much Worse to Much Improved). Participants responding 2 (Moderately Improved), or 3 (Much Improved) to the the CGI-I question Compared to the start of the study, how would you rate your nasal breathing now, will be defined as responders to treatment.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22)baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeksSNOT-22 is a 22-question survey designed to measure the physical, functional, and emotional consequences of rhinosinusitis. It contains questions regarding symptoms commonly associated with sinonasal disease. Subjects rate each question by using a 0-5 point scale with 0=no problem, 1=very mild problem, 2=mild or slight problem, 3=moderate problem, 4=severe problem, 5=problem as bad as it can be. The SNOT-22 total score ranges from a minimum score of 0 to a maximum score of 110, with higher scores representing worse outcome.
Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE)baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeksNOSE is a disease-specific survey designed to measure nasal obstruction. It consists of 5 questions, each rated on a scale of 0 to 4. The total score represents the sum of the raw scores multiplied by 5 and ranges from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating worse symptoms. A score of 30 is considered indicative of clinically significant nasal airway obstruction.
Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S)baseline, week 4The CGI-Severity Scale from 1 to 7 (1 is Not Obstructed at All, 7 is Completely Obstructed) provides the severity of nasal obstruction as perceived from the patient. Comparison of CGI-S scores at 4 weeks with baseline will help identify subjects that have experienced rebound congestion. The investigators will report the number of patients who report a worsening of their symptoms, as measured by a 1-point (1 category) increase in CGI-S scale at 4 weeks as compared to CGI-S scale at baseline.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S); experimental armbaseline, week 7The CGI-Severity Scale from 1 to 7 (1 is Not Obstructed at All, 7 is Completely Obstructed) provides the severity of nasal obstruction as perceived from the patient. Comparison of CGI-S scores at 7 weeks with baseline will help identify subjects in the experimental arm who struggled with discontinuation of oxymetazoline. The investigators will report the number of subjects who report a worsening of their symptoms, as measured by a 2-point (2 categories) increase in CGI-S scale at 7 weeks as compared to CGI-S scale at baseline in the experimental arm only.

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactNyssa Farrell, MD
nyssa.farrell@wustl.edu314-362-7509
Backup ContactSara Kukuljan
kukuljas@wustl.edu314-362-7563

Outcome results

None listed

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