Safety of Combined Therapy With Erythropoietin and Melatonin for Very Preterm Infants With Intraventricular Hemorrhage (SCEMPI)

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other, Combination product
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Phase 1
SUMMARY

Very preterm infants are prone to numerous medical complications with lifelong impact. Amongst the most serious are significant intraventricular hemorrhage (sIVH) and the subsequent progression to posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH). Currently, the only treatment for PHH is surgery, most commonly with shunts that are prone to malfunction across the lifespan. Preclinical data show that melatonin (MLT) and erythropoietin (EPO), when administered in a sustained dosing regimen, can prevent the hallmarks of progression from early postnatal sIVH to subsequent PHH. The investigators will perform a Phase I, single institution, randomized, double-blind trial for very preterm infants with sIVH to define a safe combination dose of MLT and EPO. A maximum of 60 very preterm neonates with sIVH will be enrolled, treated through 33w6/7d, and followed to 37w6/7d. Neonates will be randomized 3:1 between MLT+EPO and placebo, with all receiving standard of care. The primary endpoint is a composite serious adverse event (SAE)/dose limiting toxicity (DLT). The investigators hypothesize that the MLT+EPO SAE/DLT rate will not be higher than the placebo rate. Secondary outcomes will be rate of co-morbidities of preterm birth. Exploratory data, collected to guide design of future clinical trials for efficacy, will include serial neuro-imaging metrics acquired from clinical images, serial neonatal neurodevelopmental examinations, serum and urine MLT and EPO levels, and liquid biomarkers. Successful implementation of this initial safety trial will provide essential data to guide the next stage of clinical trials to test if sustained MLT+EPO treatment can reduce the need for surgical intervention, and avoid the lifelong burden of shunted hydrocephalus.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: Newborn
Maximum Age: 2 months
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) inpatients born at \>22 and \<32 weeks gestation (born after 22w-6/7 and before or on 31-6/7 week GA)

• sIVH within the first 21 days from birth, defined as at least unilateral grade II on head ultrasound (HUS) performed within 18 days of enrollment

• Approval of the primary neonatologist

• Appropriate caregiver to provide informed consent

• Is not known to meet or suspected of meeting any of the exclusion criteria (below).

Locations
United States
Maryland
Johns Hopkins Hospital
RECRUITING
Baltimore
Contact Information
Primary
Kathryn Lowe
kathrynlowe@jhmi.edu
443-721-4390
Backup
Jessica Wollett
jwollet1@jhmi.edu
667-306-8141
Time Frame
Start Date: 2024-04-30
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-09-30
Participants
Target number of participants: 60
Treatments
Experimental: MLT+EPO
Melatonin 3 mg/mL oral syringe enterally every evening. Dose will be divided in half and administered at evening cares.~High dose epoetin alfa epbx recombinant (1000 units/kg) syringe subcutaneously or intravenously every 48 hours for 10 doses.~Low dose epoetin alfa-epbx recombinant (400 units/kg) subcutaneously or intravenously three times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until age 33-6/7wk.
Placebo_comparator: Placebo
Placebo oral syringe enterally every evening.~Placebo syringe IV every 48 hours for 10 doses.~Placebo subcutaneously or intravenously three times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until age 33-6/7wk.
Sponsors
Collaborators: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Leads: Johns Hopkins University

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov