Clinical Trial: Fixed Dose Efficacy and Safety Study of Asenapine for the Treatment of Schizophrenia in Adolescents (P05896)

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: An 8-week, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Randomized, Fixed-dose Efficacy and Safety Trial of Asenapine in Adolescent Subjects With Schizophrenia

Brief Summary: This study is designed to evaluate whether asenapine, which is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for acute treatment of schizophrenia in adults, is also effective in adolescents with schizophrenia. Participants who qualify for the study will be randomly assigned to receive a fixed dose of asenapine (either 2.5 mg or 5 mg twice daily [BID]) or placebo for 8 weeks. Throughout the study, observations will be made on each participant at various times to assess the efficacy and safety of the study treatment. The primary objective of the trial is to demonstrate significant superiority of at least one asenapine dose to placebo, as measured by the change from baseline of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score at Day 56.

Detailed Summary:
Sponsor: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Current Primary Outcome: Change From Baseline in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Total Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]

The PANSS is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument for assessing the symptoms of schizophrenia. It consists of 3 subscales: positive subscale (7 items), negative subscale (7 items), and general psychopathology subscale (16 items). Positive symptoms refer to an excess or distortion of normal mental status (e.g., delusions). Negative symptoms represent a diminution or loss of normal functions (e.g., emotional withdrawal). For each item, symptom severity was rated on a 7-point scale, from 1=absent to 7=extreme. The PANSS total score for each participant was calculated as the sum of the rating assigned to each of the 30 PANSS items, and ranged from 30 to 210 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.


Original Primary Outcome: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score, Change from baseline [ Time Frame: Day 56 ]

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Change From Baseline in Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    Change from baseline in CGI-S score at Day 56 is the Key Secondary Outcome Measure. CGI-S is a 7-point scale for assessing the global severity of the participant's illness, with ratings from 1=normal, not ill to 7=very severely ill. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.
  • Change From Baseline in PANSS Positive Subscale Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    This measure reports results for the 7 items of the positive subscale of the PANSS, which is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument used to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms refer to an excess or distortion of normal mental status (e.g., delusions). For each item, symptom severity was rated on a 7-point scale, from 1=absent to 7=extreme. The PANSS positive subscale score for each participant was calculated as the sum of the rating assigned to each of the 7 subscale items, and ranged from 7 to 49 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.
  • Change From Baseline in PANSS Negative Subscale Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    This measure reports results for the 7 items of the negative subscale of the PANSS, which is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument used to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia. Negative symptoms represent a diminution or loss of normal functions (e.g., emotional withdrawal). For each item, symptom severity was rated on a 7-point scale, from 1=absent to 7=extreme. The PANSS negative subscale score for each participant was calculated as the sum of the rating assigned to each of the 7 subscale items, and ranged from 7 to 49 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.
  • Change From Baseline in PANSS Positive and Negative Subscale Scores Combined at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    This measure reports results for the combined positive subscale (7 items) and negative subscale (7 items) of the PANSS, which is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument used to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms refer to an excess or distortion of normal mental status (e.g., delusions). Negative symptoms represent a diminution or loss of normal functions (e.g., emotional withdrawal). For each of the total 14 items in the combined positive and negative subscales, symptom severity was rated on a 7-point scale, from 1=absent to 7=extreme. The PANSS positive and negative subscale scores combined for each participant was calculated as the sum of the rating assigned to each of the 14 combined subscale items, and ranged from 14 to 98 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.
  • Change From Baseline in PANSS General Psychopathology Subscale Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    This measure reports results for the 16 items of the general psychopathology subscale of the PANSS, which is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument used to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia. For each item, symptom severity was rated on a 7-point scale, from 1=absent to 7=extreme. The PANSS general psychopathology subscale score for each participant was calculated as the sum of the rating assigned to each of the 16 subscale items, and ranged from 16 to 112 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.
  • Change From Baseline in PANSS Marder Positive Symptoms Factor Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    This measure reports results for the 8 items of the Marder positive symptoms factor of the PANSS, which is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument used to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia. Marder factors are a modified grouping of the 30 PANSS items (Marder et al. J Clin Psychiatry 1997;58(12):538-46). Positive symptoms refer to an excess or distortion of normal mental status (e.g., delusions). For each item, symptom severity was rated on a 7-point scale, from 1=absent to 7=extreme. The PANSS Marder positive symptoms factor score for each participant was calculated as the sum of the rating assigned to each of the 8 applicable Marder factor items, and ranged from 8 to 56 with a higher score indicating greater severity of symptoms. The reported measure is the change from baseline at Day 56; improvement in symptoms is represented by negative values.
  • Change From Baseline in PANSS Marder Negative Symptoms Factor Score at Day 56 [ Time Frame: Baseline and Day 56 ]
    This measure reports results for the 7 items of the Marder negative symptoms factor of the PANSS, which is a 30-item clinician-rated instrument used to assess the symptoms of schizophrenia. Marder factors are a modified grouping of the 30 PANSS item

    Original Secondary Outcome:

    • Clinical Global Impression of Severity of subjects' illness, change from baseline [ Time Frame: Day 56 ]
    • Total PANSS 30% responders, proportion [ Time Frame: Day 56/Endpoint ]


    Information By: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

    Dates:
    Date Received: August 25, 2010
    Date Started: September 2010
    Date Completion:
    Last Updated: August 4, 2015
    Last Verified: August 2015