Clinical trial NCT02543346: Comparability and Standardization of Controlled Allergen Challenge Facilities
Official title: Comparability and Standardization of Controlled Allergen Challenge Facilities
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Allergic Rhinitis
Lead sponsor: Queen's University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Biogenics Research Chamber, LLC
First posted: 2015-09-07
Enrollment: 98
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: Allergen challenge facilities have been utilized for many years in clinical drug trials studying onset of action, proof of concept, duration of action, and efficacy. Each facility has somewhat different design characteristics and pollen dispersal technologies. Facilities are located in disparate geographic areas and have populations of participants who are sensitized to allergens unique to that area. Therefore, facilities have operated as single sites with little effort to evaluate facility comparability or to attempt standardization across facilities. The purpose of this study is to compare the two sites and assess whether the sites are able to achieve similar symptom scores.

Detailed description: When CACF have been designed with a high degree of rigor, quality assurance and validation testing, the exposure to controlled levels of pollen in such facilities as the Environmental Exposure Unit (EEU) and the Biogenics Research Chamber (BRC) will demonstrate comparable/standardized symptomatic responses. This will be demonstrable not only following pollen exposure but will also have similar reductions in symptoms following treatment with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medication known to be effective for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis ( SAR); cetirizine 10mg. Because of quality assurance and validation testing completed at these facilities a priori, this comparability will be demonstrated despite their disparate geographical physical locations and the utilization of these facilities of somewhat different mechanical and technical materials and methods to achieve similar outcomes.

This multi-center study of SAR will enroll 50 participants at each site. These participants will be age 18-65, male and female, with a mixture of ethnic groups. The study will involve 3 Phases: Screening, Treatment Exposure Visit, and a cross-over Treatment Exposure Visit. In all stages, a CACF visit will be pivotal to determine participant eligibility for enrollment and response to therapy. The qualifying participants will receive a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover intervention with cetirizine HCl 10mg.

All participants will give written informed consent prior to any study related procedures being performed. Participants who meet all inclusion/exclusion criteria during the screening process will be asked to return to the EEU for their first pollen exposure visit (Treatment Visit #1). At the Screening Visit participants will provide a full medical history and undergo a physical examination. They will have their height/weight and vitals measured and skin testing will be performed to confirm allergic response to a panel of common aeroallergens. Women of child bearing potential will undergo a urine pregnancy test to rule out pregnancy. Eligible participants will be invited back to the research centre for 4 pollen exposure visits at 2 of these visits participants will receive either cetirizine or placebo. All participants will receive placebo at some point throughout the study.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* history of rhinoconjunctivitis during ragweed season for a minimum of 2 years, including the previous 2 ragweed seasons.
* positive skin test to ragweed allergen.

Exclusion Criteria:

* participant is pregnant, lactating or actively trying to conceive.
* has a history of receiving immunotherapy containing short ragweed within the last 3 years.
* participant has current allergy symptoms.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Comparison of TRSS From Baseline Between the EEU and BRC in the Cetirizine 10 mg and Placebo Groups.
timeFrame: First treatment visit and second treatment visit.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Comparison of TNSS From Baseline Between the EEU and BRC in the Cetirizine 10 mg and Placebo Groups.
timeFrame: First treatment visit and second treatment visit.
measure: Comparison of TOSS From Baseline Between the EEU and BRC in the Cetirizine 10 mg and Placebo Groups.
timeFrame: First treatment visit and second treatment visit.
measure: Comparison of GRCS From Baseline Between the EEU and BRC in the Cetirizine 10 mg and Placebo Groups.
timeFrame: First treatment visit and second treatment visit.
measure: Comparison of VAS From Baseline Between the EEU and BRC in the Cetirizine 10 mg and Placebo Groups.
timeFrame: First treatment visit and second treatment visit.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: San Antonio
country: United States
facility: Biogenics Research Chamber
state: Texas
city: Kingston
country: Canada
facility: Kingston General Hospital
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: Queen's University
name: Anne K Ellis, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: