Purpose

The CLOZAPINE study is designed as a multisite study across 5 sites and is a clinical trial, involving human participants who are prospectively assigned to an intervention. The study will utilize a stringent randomized, double-blinded, parallel group clinical trial design. B2 group will serve as psychosis control with risperidone as medication control. The study is designed to evaluate effect of clozapine on the B1 participants, and the effect that will be evaluated is a biomedical outcome. The study sample will be comprised of individuals with psychosis, including 1) schizophrenia, 2) schizoaffective disorder and 3) psychotic bipolar I disorder. The investigators plan to initially screen and recruit n=524 (from both the existing B-SNIP library and newly-identified psychosis cases, ~50% each) in order to enroll n=320 (B1 and B2) into the RCT.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 60 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • 18-60y/o; males and females; all races and ethnicities; able to provide written informed consent; able to read, speak, and understand English; medically stable; meeting DSM-IV (SCID-based) criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features (we will use DSM-IV to be consistent with prior B-SNIP samples); PANSS total score of ≥70 and at least one item scored ≥5 or two items scored ≥4 on PANSS Positive Subscale; normal baseline values for absolute neutrophil count (ANC above 1500/mm3)

Exclusion Criteria

  • premorbid intellectual ability estimate below 70 (WRAT-4, Word Reading subtest, age-corrected standardized score); comorbid DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol or substance abuse in prior 1 month or substance dependence in prior 3 months; neurological (e.g., seizure disorder, stroke, traumatic brain injury with a loss of consciousness ≥ 30min) or severe medical condition (e.g., decompensated cardiovascular disorder, AIDS) that may affect central nervous system function; concomitant medications known to affect EEG properties (i.e., lithium, anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines) or strong CYP 1A2 inhibitors (e.g., ciprofloxacin, enoxacin) or strong CYP 3A4 inducers (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, rifampin) which cannot be safely discontinued; vulnerable populations (e.g., pregnant, nursing, incarcerated); unwilling to use reliable means of contraception; history of neuroleptic malignant syndrome; prior treatment with clozapine, prior treatment with long-acting injectable antipsychotics that are 1-month formulations within the past 3 months and for 3-month formulations within the past 6 months; intolerable side effects to either clozapine or risperidone in lifetime, or a previously failed trial of either clozapine or risperidone at adequate doses in lifetime; history of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome (DRESS), also known as drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS); high risk for suicide defined as more than 1 attempt in past 12 months that required medical attention, any attempt in the past 3 months or current suicidal ideation with plan and intent such that outpatient care is precluded; current homicidal ideation with plan and intent such that outpatient care is precluded.

Study Design

Phase
Phase 4
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Individuals who previously participated in a B-SNIP trial who have already been biotyped will be grouped accordingly. New incoming individuals will have their Biotype completed. Those with Biotypes 1 and 2 will be recruited into this protocol. Anyone with Biotype 3 will be excluded from this protocol, but their information will be retained for use in a later study. Biotypes 1 and 2 will be separated into two groups. Each Biotype, B1 and B2, will be randomized between risperidone and clozapine to create parallel comparator groups.
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking Description
All participants and those who interact with them are blinded to study medication. The pharmacy dispensing team and the Safety Officer will remain unblinded for safety reasons.

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Biotype 1 - Clozapine (B1C)
Target doses will be up to clozapine 500mg po qd. In addition, several concomitant (open label) medications for symptomatic management will be available via the study protocol [non-benzodiazepine sleep aid (melatonin, hydroxyzine); motor side effect treatments (benztropine, propranolol)]. The doses for these medications will be consistent with those routinely used in a clinical practice: melatonin [up to 10mg at bedtime], hydroxyzine [up to 100mg at bedtime]; benztropine [up to 4mg/day (2mg twice/day)], propranolol [up to 40mg/day (20mg twice/day)].
  • Drug: clozapine
    Biotype 1 and Biotype 2
    Other names:
    • Clozaril
Placebo Comparator
Biotype 1 - Risperidone (B1R)
Target doses will be up to risperidone 6mg po qd. In addition, several concomitant (open label) medications for symptomatic management will be available via the study protocol [non-benzodiazepine sleep aid (melatonin, hydroxyzine); motor side effect treatments (benztropine, propranolol)]. The doses for these medications will be consistent with those routinely used in a clinical practice: melatonin [up to 10mg at bedtime], hydroxyzine [up to 100mg at bedtime]; benztropine [up to 4mg/day (2mg twice/day)], propranolol [up to 40mg/day (20mg twice/day)].
  • Drug: risperidone
    Biotype 1 and Biotype 2
    Other names:
    • Risperdal
Active Comparator
Biotype 2 - Clozapine (B2C)
Target doses will be up to clozapine 500mg po qd. In addition, several concomitant (open label) medications for symptomatic management will be available via the study protocol [non-benzodiazepine sleep aid (melatonin, hydroxyzine); motor side effect treatments (benztropine, propranolol)]. The doses for these medications will be consistent with those routinely used in a clinical practice: melatonin [up to 10mg at bedtime], hydroxyzine [up to 100mg at bedtime]; benztropine [up to 4mg/day (2mg twice/day)], propranolol [up to 40mg/day (20mg twice/day)].
  • Drug: clozapine
    Biotype 1 and Biotype 2
    Other names:
    • Clozaril
Placebo Comparator
Biotype 2 - Risperidone (B2R)
Target doses will be up to risperidone 6mg po qd. In addition, several concomitant (open label) medications for symptomatic management will be available via the study protocol [non-benzodiazepine sleep aid (melatonin, hydroxyzine); motor side effect treatments (benztropine, propranolol)]. The doses for these medications will be consistent with those routinely used in a clinical practice: melatonin [up to 10mg at bedtime], hydroxyzine [up to 100mg at bedtime]; benztropine [up to 4mg/day (2mg twice/day)], propranolol [up to 40mg/day (20mg twice/day
  • Drug: risperidone
    Biotype 1 and Biotype 2
    Other names:
    • Risperdal

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Study Contact

Asha Philip
214-648-5276
asha.philip@utsouthwestern.edu

Detailed Description

The clinical hypotheses underlying this experiment are that (i) B1 individuals are uniquely responsive to the pharmacological properties of clozapine because they have low Intrinsic EEG Activity (IEA), an index of compromised cortical neuronal responsiveness. This is plausibly associated with both (ii) reduced excitatory and (iii) reduced inhibitory stimulation in cortex and that IEA will track this altered excitatory/inhibitory balance and parallel clinical antipsychotic response. Furthermore, (iv) B2 probands (based on their high IEA) will not respond to clozapine. In this study clozapine response is measured by a 'super-APD' (AntiPsychotic Drug) drug response, a response in addition to what is seen with a usual APD (e.g., risperidone). The investigators believe that the 30-35% of individuals who show a 'super-APD' clozapine response in schizophrenia in the pivotal study will be predominantly in B1, because the B1 completers will no longer be diluted by the other non-responders like B2s. Therefore, the investigators postulate that >50% of B1 will show a unique therapeutic action of clozapine (beyond general APD action), contrasted with the usual predicted response of B1 to risperidone or of B2 to clozapine or risperidone.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.