Clinical trial NCT00004486: Randomized Study of Fluoxetine in Children and Adolescents With Autism
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Autism
Keywords: autism
neurologic and psychiatric disorders
rare disease
Lead sponsor: FDA Office of Orphan Products Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 1999-10-19
Enrollment: 45
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 5
Maximum age (years): 17
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the efficacy of fluoxetine on social and language deficits, global severity and compulsive dimensions of children and adolescents with autism.

II. Assess the effectiveness of this treatment regimen on neurocognitive deficits in this patient population.

III. Compare the baseline compulsive severity and treatment outcome in these patients.

Detailed description: PROTOCOL OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study. All patients receive oral placebo daily during week 0.

Patients are randomized to receive either oral fluoxetine or oral placebo daily on weeks 1-8. Patients then crossover to receive treatment on the other arm during weeks 12-20.

Completion date provided represents the completion date of the grant per OOPD records

Eligibility criteria: PROTOCOL ENTRY CRITERIA:

--Disease Characteristics--

Meets diagnostic criteria for autism

--Prior/Concurrent Therapy--

Other:

* At least 3 months since prior electroconvulsive therapy
* At least 1 month since prior investigational drugs or treatment with any drug known to cause major organ toxicity
* At least 2 weeks since prior monoamine oxidase inhibitors
* At least 6 weeks since prior long acting phenothiazines
* At least 1 week since prior other psychotropic drugs
* No prior fluoxetine of 20 mg/day for 6 weeks
* At least 6 weeks since prior fluoxetine
* No concurrent use of terfenadine (Seldane) or astemizole (Hismanal)
* No concurrent electroconvulsive therapy or other psychotropic drugs (unless otherwise permitted)
* Prior participation in another serotonin reuptake inhibitor trial allowed

--Patient Characteristics--

Hematopoietic: No significant hematopoietic disease

Hepatic: No prior or concurrent liver disease

Renal: No prior or concurrent kidney disease

Cardiovascular:

* No significant cardiovascular disease
* No abnormal EKG

Neurological:

* No prior seizure disorder or high risk development of seizures
* No prior cerebrovascular disease
* No prior brain trauma

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* No unstable major medical illness or systemic disease
* No moderate or severe mental retardation and motor deficits (IQ less than 50)
* No family history of bipolar disorder
* No prior or concurrent other mental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective, organic, or bipolar disorders)
* No significant autoaggressive behavior or serious suicidal risk
* No prior or concurrent gastrointestinal conditions
* No unstable endocrine disease (e.g., hypo or hyperthyroidism)
* No prior or concurrent malignancy
* Must be able to tolerate tapering of psychoactive medication
* No history of hypersensitivity or severe side effects to fluoxetine or other serotonin reuptake inhibitors
* No history of severe personality disorder or noncompliance

Primary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bronx
country: United States
facility: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
state: New York
city: New York
country: United States
facility: New York University Medical Center
state: New York
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Mount Sinai School of Medicine
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
name: Eric Hollander
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Hollander E, Phillips A, Chaplin W, Zagursky K, Novotny S, Wasserman S, Iyengar R. A placebo controlled crossover trial of liquid fluoxetine on repetitive behaviors in childhood and adolescent autism. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005 Mar;30(3):582-9. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300627.