Study of DCR-AUD in Healthy Volunteers

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 1

Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Treatments: Drug: DCR-AUD; Drug: Placebo for DCR-AUD

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Industry

Identifiers

NCT05021640

DCR-AUD-101

U44AA027404 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

DCR-AUD will be evaluated for safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics in healthy volunteers.

Full description

DCR-AUD is being developed for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in adults using an RNA interference (RNAi) technology platform. This is a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of single-ascending doses (SAD) of DCR-AUD administered to adult HVs. The single doses of DCR-AUD will be administered to adult HVs across 4 sequential cohorts (3 planned [80 mg, 240 mg, 480 mg] and one optional [960 mg]). Each cohort will comprise a sentinel group of 3 participants (2 active, 1 placebo) and an expanded group of 6 participants (4 active, 2 placebo). The sentinel group will be followed for the assessment of safety and tolerability and characterization of PK but who will not undergo any EIAs. Participants will receive a single dose of study intervention on Day 1 and will be followed for 24 weeks. Participants who have positive ethanol reaction symptoms at the Day 169 EIA (e.g., nausea, vomiting, or substantial flushing) will return every 28 (±7) days for follow-up EIAs until the positive ethanol reaction symptoms abate. These conditional follow-up (CFU) EIAs will not require overnight admission to the clinic, but all other aspects of the EIA will be conducted (see Table 3). Participants will be observed for not less than 6 hours after ethanol administration and will not be discharged until the Investigator deems it medically safe to do so.

Enrollment: 36 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Male and female participants, between 21 and 65 years of age (inclusive), who were social drinkers of modest amounts of alcohol (less than or equal to (≤) 2 drinks/day, ≤ 3 days/week) and would be able to refrain from drinking alcohol during the outpatient portion of the trial
• Overtly healthy, as determined by medical evaluation including medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and cardiac monitoring.
• Negative screen for drugs of abuse (to include at minimum: amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, opioids, and benzodiazepines) at Screening and Day 1. Cannabis will not be recorded as a drug of abuse for this study.
• Had a negative test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection on Day -1 and prior to admission to the clinical unit.
• Systolic BP in the range of 90 to 140 millimetre(s) of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic BP in the range of 50 to 95 mmHg, and body mass index (BMI) within the range of 18.0 to 32.0 kilogram per square meter (kg/m^2) (inclusive).

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of any medical condition that may interfere with the absorption, distribution, or elimination of study intervention, or with the clinical and laboratory assessments in this study, including (but not limited to): chronic or recurrent renal disease, functional bowel disorders (e.g., frequent diarrhea or constipation), clinically significant cardiovascular or pulmonary disease or has cardiovascular or pulmonary disease requiring pharmacologic medication, GI tract disease, pancreatitis, seizure disorder, mucocutaneous, or musculoskeletal disorder.
• Any history of severe or recent clinically significant depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other neuropsychiatric disorder that, in the judgment of the Investigator, represents a safety risk to the individual were they to participate in the trial
• History of delirium tremens or alcohol-related seizures.
• History of significant adverse reaction(s) to alcohol.
• History of substance use disorder (SUD), including alcohol (AUD) or illicit drug use (excluding cannabis) within the preceding 12 months. Nicotine use is permitted.
• History of any concomitant medical condition for which alcohol consumption is prohibited or advised against by the participant's physician or health care provider.
• History of multiple drug allergies or a history of allergic reaction to an oligonucleotide based therapy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Sequential Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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36 participants in 5 patient groups, including a placebo group

Cohort 1: DCRAUD 80 mg

Experimental group

Description:

Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 80 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.

Treatment:

Drug: DCR-AUD

Cohort 2: DCRAUD 240 mg

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 240 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.

Treatment:

Drug: DCR-AUD

Cohort 3: DCR-AUD 480 mg

Experimental group

Description:

Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 480 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.

Treatment:

Drug: DCR-AUD

Cohort 4: DCR-AUD 960 mg

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD 960 mg, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.

Treatment:

Drug: DCR-AUD

Pooled Placebo

Experimental group

Description:

Participant received a single dose of DCR-AUD matching placebo, subcutaneous injection on Day 1.

Treatment:

Drug: Placebo for DCR-AUD