Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder characterized by lifelong issues of inattention, distraction, organizational difficulties, forgetfulness, restlessness, talking out of turn, difficulty waiting and interrupting others. ADHD is the second most common neuropsychiatric disorder affecting 4.4% of the United States (US) adult population, or between 8-9 million individuals. Droxidopa (L-dihydroxyphenylserine (L-DOPS)) is a synthetic catecholamine which is converted to norepinephrine (NE) via decarboxylation, resulting in increased levels of NE centrally in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripherally. Co-treatment with carboxylase inhibitors, such as carbidopa, given with droxidopa, can increase the CNS levels of NE with greater crossing of the blood-brain barrier. Droxidopa has received orphan drug approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in individuals with primary autonomic failure. The half-life of droxidopa is approximately 2-3 hours, resulting in administration three times daily.
This will be a 12-week study of twenty enrolled participants with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV) criteria adult ADHD (age 18-55), with a goal of completing twenty participants in the trial. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of droxidopa therapy on adult ADHD symptoms over the course of a six-week open-label titration period followed by a two-week double-blind, placebo-controlled period. The primary outcome measure will be changes from baseline in total score on the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS). Secondary measures will be changes in self-reported ADHD symptoms on the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) and global impairment on the Clinician Global Impression Scale (CGI).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
20
3 weeks of open label droxidopa (L-dihydroxyphenylserine (L-DOPS)) (200, 400, or 600mgs TID) monotherapy followed by 3 weeks of droxidopa in combination with carbidopa (25mg or 50mg TID) followed by 2 weeks of double blind continued droxidopa+carbidopa or placebo
VA New York Harbor Healthcare System/New York University Langone Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
Change From Baseline in Total AISRS Score at the End of Double-blind Treatment (Week 8)
The AISRS is an 18-item validated investigator-administered instrument for the assessment of ADHD symptoms with an inattentive subscale (9 items) and a hyperactive-impulsive subscale (9 items). The severity of each of the items was rated on a 4-point scale (0-none, 1-mild, 2-moderate, 3-severe). The total score was the sum of the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive subscales and ranged from 0 (none) to 54 (most severe). A higher score corresponded to a worse severity of ADHD.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 8
Change From Baseline in Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) v1.1 Total Score at the End of Double-blind Treatment (Week 8)
ASRS is a validated self-administered, instrument for the assessment of ADHD symptoms. It comprised of 18 items, which were rated by the participant on a 5-point scale (0=never, 1=rarely, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=very often). Total ASRS score was the sum of the ordinal response values for the 18 ASRS questions and ranged from 0 (never) to 72 (very often). A higher score corresponded to a worse severity of ADHD.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 8
Change From Baseline in Global Impairment on the Clinician Global Impression (CGI) Scale at the End of Double-blind Treatment (Week 8)
7-point clinician-rated scale assessing global severity of ADHD ranging from Normal (1), Borderline (2), Mild (3), Moderate (4), Marked (5), Severe (6), to Extremely Severe (7) in functional impairment.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 8
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