Clinical trial NCT03568604: Changes to Vulva, Vestibule, Urethral Meatus and Vagina 20 Weeks Post Daily Prasterone in Women With Dyspareunia
Official title: Open-Label Vulvoscopy Photography Study of Changes in Vulva, Vestibule, Urethral Meatus and Vagina 20 Weeks Post Daily Administration of 6.5 Mg Vaginal Prasterone in Menopausal Women With Moderate to Severe Dyspareunia
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Dyspareunia
Keywords: vulvovaginal atrophy
dyspareunia
prasterone
vulvoscopy
Lead sponsor: San Diego Sexual Medicine
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-06-26
Enrollment: 18
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 21
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: Open label study of daily administration of 6.5 mg prasterone, approved for moderate to severe dyspareunia for vaginal atrophy in menopausal women, to see if there are changes to the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus and vagina on vulvoscopy after 20 weeks
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Open label study at a single research center. Subjects meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria will receive 6.5 mg prasterone vaginal inserts daily for twenty weeks. A physical examination and vulvoscopy with photography of the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus and vagina will be performed at baseline and every 4 weeks for 20 weeks. Pain diaries will be completed between visits.

Detailed description: This is an open label study to be conducted at a single research center, San Diego Sexual Medicine. Subjects meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria will receive 6.5 mg prasterone vaginal inserts daily for twenty weeks. After the informed consent is signed, a baseline physical examination and vulvoscopy with detailed photography of the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus and vagina will be performed. Physical examination and vulvoscopy with detailed photography of the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus and vagina will be repeated prospectively every 4 weeks for a total of 20 weeks. Therefore, physical examination and vulvoscopy with detailed photography of the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus and vagina will be performed prospectively at baseline (vulvoscopy session 1), 4 weeks (vulvoscopy session 2), 8 weeks (vulvoscopy session 3), 12 weeks (vulvoscopy session 4), 16 weeks (vulvoscopy session 5) and 20 weeks (vulvoscopy session 6) following daily administration of 6.5 mg prasterone. In addition, pain diaries will be dispensed at each visit and collected at the following visit, with questions regarding pain during sexual activity.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* provides written informed consent and HIPAA authorization before any study procedures are conducted;
* has a body mass index (BMI) \< 37 kg/m2
* is menopausal either naturally (at least 12 months amenorrheic) or 6 weeks after a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy prior to natural menopause; subjects with hysterectomy only must have a serum FSH \> 40 mIU/mL;
* has vulvovaginal atrophy with moderate to severe dyspareunia;
* has at least one score ≥ 2 on cotton-tipped swab test
* agrees to comply with the study procedures and visits.

Exclusion Criteria:

* has a hypersensitivity to DHEA;
* has used prasterone in the past 6 months;
* has documented or suspected breast cancer;
* has undiagnosed genital bleeding:
* has clinically significant findings on physical examination;
* has uncontrolled hypertension;
* has any chronic medical condition or psychologic disorder that the Principal Investigator feels makes her ineligible for the study;
* is currently on local or systemic androgen therapy including local or systemic testosterone (washout 14 days for local or topical androgen or non-depot injection, 1 month for depot, 6 months for pellet;
* is currently on local or systemic estrogen therapy or androgen therapy (washout 14 days for vaginal estrogen, 60 days for oral/transdermal therapy);
* is currently using a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) or products that have estrogenic or anti-estrogenic effects within last month;
* has a history of substance abuse within 12 months prior, or consuming \> 14 alcoholic drinks per week;
* has received an investigational drug within 30 days prior to signing consent;
* has any condition or exhibits behavior that indicates to the Principal Investigator that the Subject is unlikely to be compliant with study procedures and visits.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Vulvoscopic changes to the vulva, vestibule, urethral meatus and vaginal region on VGTA scale
timeFrame: Twenty weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Changes in pain as noted on cotton-tipped swab (Q-tips®) test.
timeFrame: Twenty weeks
measure: Subject diary
timeFrame: Twenty weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: San Diego
country: United States
facility: San Diego Sexual Medicine
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: San Diego Sexual Medicine
name: Irwin Goldstein, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: San Diego Sexual Medicine
name: Sue W Goldstein, BA, CCRC
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Labrie F, Archer DF, Martel C, Vaillancourt M, Montesino M. Combined data of intravaginal prasterone against vulvovaginal atrophy of menopause. Menopause. 2017 Nov;24(11):1246-1256. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000910.
citation: Labrie F, Martel C. A low dose (6.5 mg) of intravaginal DHEA permits a strictly local action while maintaining all serum estrogens or androgens as well as their metabolites within normal values. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 2017 Feb 1;29(2):39-60. doi: 10.1515/hmbci-2016-0042.
citation: Martel C, Labrie F, Archer DF, Ke Y, Gonthier R, Simard JN, Lavoie L, Vaillancourt M, Montesino M, Balser J, Moyneur E; other participating members of the Prasterone Clinical Research Group. Serum steroid concentrations remain within normal postmenopausal values in women receiving daily 6.5mg intravaginal prasterone for 12 weeks. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2016 May;159:142-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.03.016. Epub 2016 Mar 10.
citation: Labrie F, Archer DF, Koltun W, Vachon A, Young D, Frenette L, Portman D, Montesino M, Cote I, Parent J, Lavoie L, Beauregard A, Martel C, Vaillancourt M, Balser J, Moyneur E; VVA Prasterone Research Group. Efficacy of intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on moderate to severe dyspareunia and vaginal dryness, symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy, and of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Menopause. 2016 Mar;23(3):243-56. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000571.
citation: Bouchard C, Labrie F, Derogatis L, Girard G, Ayotte N, Gallagher J, Cusan L, Archer DF, Portman D, Lavoie L, Beauregard A, Cote I, Martel C, Vaillancourt M, Balser J, Moyneur E; VVA Prasterone Group. Effect of intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the female sexual function in postmenopausal women: ERC-230 open-label study. Horm Mol Biol Clin Investig. 2016 Mar;25(3):181-90. doi: 10.1515/hmbci-2015-0044.
citation: Labrie F, Derogatis L, Archer DF, Koltun W, Vachon A, Young D, Frenette L, Portman D, Montesino M, Cote I, Parent J, Lavoie L, Beauregard A, Martel C, Vaillancourt M, Balser J, Moyneur E; Members of the VVA Prasterone Research Group. Effect of Intravaginal Prasterone on Sexual Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Women with Vulvovaginal Atrophy. J Sex Med. 2015 Dec;12(12):2401-12. doi: 10.1111/jsm.13045. Epub 2015 Nov 23.
citation: Archer DF, Labrie F, Bouchard C, Portman DJ, Koltun W, Cusan L, Labrie C, Cote I, Lavoie L, Martel C, Balser J; VVA Prasterone Group. Treatment of pain at sexual activity (dyspareunia) with intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (prasterone). Menopause. 2015 Sep;22(9):950-63. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000428.
citation: Labrie F, Archer D, Bouchard C, Fortier M, Cusan L, Gomez JL, Girard G, Baron M, Ayotte N, Moreau M, Dube R, Cote I, Labrie C, Lavoie L, Gilbert L, Martel C, Balser J. Lack of influence of dyspareunia on the beneficial effect of intravaginal prasterone (dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA) on sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women. J Sex Med. 2014 Jul;11(7):1766-85. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12517. Epub 2014 Apr 28.
citation: Labrie F, Martel C, Berube R, Cote I, Labrie C, Cusan L, Gomez JL. Intravaginal prasterone (DHEA) provides local action without clinically significant changes in serum concentrations of estrogens or androgens. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2013 Nov;138:359-67. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2013.08.002. Epub 2013 Aug 14.