Pharmacokinetic and Safety Evaluation of L-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) With Cocaine Exposure in People With a History of Cocaine Use

Summary

This study will test the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of l-THP with cocaine exposure in people who have a history of cocaine use. The subject will be admitted to the Brief Stay Unit (BSU), an inpatient facility at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, used for short term drug abuse or clinical trial studies. The participant will stay for 4 nights and 5 days. He/she will be randomized to either placebo or l-THP for three days. On the morning of Day 4, the subject will receive one cocaine dose (40 mg intranasal) and have testing for pharmacokinetic parameters for the following 10 hours. The subject will stay over one more night and will be discharged the following day. Approximately 40 subjects will be randomized to enroll the target sample of 30 (N=15 placebo, N=15 l-THP). In summary, each subject will come for a screening visit(s), then a 5-day, 4-night stay on a secure research unit. After cocaine administration day, the participant will stay overnight for one more day of observation and to permit substantial l-THP elimination from the body. The following morning we will get one additional blood specimen for l-THP (Day 5 at 24 hours after last dose (7:30 am); then the participant will be discharged. A visit with blood collection on Day 6 at 55 hours after last dose (2:30 pm) will be scheduled. A final follow-up visit will be scheduled 4-7 days after unit discharge to ensure no persisting side effects.

Conditions

• Cocaine Use

Interventions

DRUG

l-THP (l-tetrahydropalmatine)

Subjects will arrive the first day (Day 1) for admission and morning l-THP dosing. The l-THP will be dosed as one capsule 30 mg twice daily (matching placebo or l-THP) (total 60 mg daily). Participants will receive 7 total l-THP doses: two doses on Day 1 (morning and evening), two doses on Day 2 (morning and evening), 2 doses on Day 3 (morning and evening) and one dose the morning of Day 4 (cocaine administration day).

DRUG

Placebo

Subjects will arrive the first day (Day 1) for admission and morning l-THP dosing. The l-THP will be dosed as one capsule 30 mg twice daily (matching placebo or l-THP) (total 60 mg daily). Participants will receive 7 total l-THP doses: two doses on Day 1 (morning and evening), two doses on Day 2 (morning and evening), 2 doses on Day 3 (morning and evening) and one dose the morning of Day 4 (cocaine administration day).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Maryland, Baltimore

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Deanna L. Kelly, Pharm.D., BCPP · University of Maryland, College Park

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-10-31

Primary Completion

2017-06-30

Completion

2017-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations