Dantrolene in Statin-induced Myopathy

Tanta University

Status and phase: Begins enrollment in a year or more; Phase 3; Phase 2

Conditions: Statins Induced Myopathy

Treatments: Drug: Dantrolene; Drug: Placebo

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06966843

Dan1199

Details and patient eligibility

About

Statins are one of the most efficient drugs for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia which is considered as one of the main risk factors for atherosclerosis., and therefore they are frequently prescribed medications [1-2]. However, statins therapy is associated with myotoxicity. This effect of different severity ranges forms myopathy, myalgia, myositis, and rhabdomyolysis [3].

Different studies set a number of hypotheses to explain the pathophysiological events of statin-induced myopathy. These hypotheses include disturbance of mitochondrial function resulting in cytoplasmic Ca2+ overload as well as decreased level of the potent antioxidant and membrane stabilizer coenzyme Q10/ubiquinone [4-5] This study tries to introduce a complementary therapy that targets these molecular events. This therapeutic protocol includes dantrolene the muscle relaxant that acts as a ryanodine receptor (RYR) antagonist and thus decreases Ca release in cytoplasm.

Enrollment: 23 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Adults aged 18-75 years Currently receiving statin therapy for at least 4 weeks Clinical symptoms suggestive of statin-induced myopathy (e.g., muscle pain, weakness) Elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) ≥1.5x upper limit of normal Able and willing to provide informed consent Willing to discontinue statins during the study period (if protocol requires)

Exclusion criteria

Known hypersensitivity to dantrolene History of severe liver disease or abnormal liver function tests (ALT or AST > 2x ULN) Use of interacting drugs that may increase dantrolene toxicity (e.g., calcium channel blockers like verapamil) Renal impairment (e.g., serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL) Diagnosed neuromuscular disorders unrelated to statins (e.g., ALS, muscular dystrophy) Pregnant or breastfeeding women Participation in another clinical trial within the past 30 days

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

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23 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Dantrolene Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive oral dantrolene 25 mg capsule once daily for 4 weeks. Dose may be increased to 50 mg daily based on tolerance and response. Dantrolene is used to evaluate its potential effect on muscle symptoms and biomarkers in statin-induced myopathy.

Treatment:

Drug: Dantrolene

Placebo Group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive a matching oral placebo capsule once daily for 4 weeks, designed to mimic dantrolene in appearance. This arm serves as the control to assess the efficacy and safety of dantrolene in comparison to placebo

Treatment:

Drug: Placebo