Clinical Trial to Study the Safety and Tolerability of Memantin Mepha® in Sickle Cell Disease Patients

Overview

Symptomatic sickle cell disease is worldwide the most frequent cause for hereditary hemolytic anemia with recurrent pain crisis. Hemolysis, vaso- occlusive and pain crises are hallmarks of this disease and are causative for an important socio-economic burden worldwide, especially in Africa. Aside from allogenic stem cell transplantation, which is rarely available and very expensive, at present there is no curative treatment for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The current standard of care includes treatment with hydroxycarbamide and symptomatic care such as transfusions, antibiotic/analgesic treatment. This study has the aim to study the safety and tolerability of Memantin in patients with sickle cell disease.

During the study participants will be asked if medical occurrences (AEs) happened and laboratory analysis (haematology, coagulation, chemistry) and urine samples will be taken. In addition at each visit a physical examination and measurement of vital signs will be performed. In addition the number of hospital days and emergency consultations, the impact on working ability (the number of days with inability to work, changes in iv%), the amount and type of analgesic medication, the amount of RBC transfusions, the number of days that antibiotics prescribed and haematology (at local and external laboratory) and chemistry laboratory parameters will be assessed. For the impact on work and social life a questionnaire of quality of life will be filled out monthly by the patient. At screening and at the end of the study SCD specific assessments will be performed, which include cardiologic examination (ECG, ECHO), abdominal sonography, ophthalmological examination, lung function testing and neuroangiologic examination.