Conditions: Osteoarthritis Pain
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Enrollment: 70
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Study Part 1 is designed to assess the plasma pharmacokinetics of etoricoxib (ETOR) 4% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and propylene glycol (PG) formulations, each at 2 different doses, upon single-dose topical administration on the knee of osteoarthritis participants. Study Part 2 is designed to evaluate the efficacy of topical etoricoxib vs. placebo in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. The primary hypothesis is that topical etoricoxib will be more effective than placebo in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee over 2 weeks of treatment as assessed by time-weighted average change from baseline on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) Visual Analogue (VA) 3.0 pain subscale.

Detailed description:
Part I of the study will consist of a single-dose, open-label, randomized, four-way cross over study with topical administration of etoricoxib gel on the knee of osteoarthritis participants. The washout between successive dose administrations will be at least one week. Part 2 of the study will consist of double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel groups, multiple dose, twice daily topical administration of etoricoxib or placebo gel on the knee of osteoarthritis participants for a period of two weeks.

Arms:
arm 1: Single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (1.97 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (4.30 mL) 4% PG gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (2.15 mL) 4% PG gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (3.94 mL) 4% DMSO gel. All treatments were applied topically. arm 2: Single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (2.15 mL) 4% PG gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (1.97 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (3.94 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (4.30 mL) 4% PG gel. All treatments were applied topically. arm 3: Single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (3.94 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (2.15 mL) 4% PG gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (4.30 mL) 4% PG gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (1.97 mL) 4% DMSO gel. All treatments were applied topically. arm 4: Single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (4.30 mL) 4% PG gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (3.94 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (1.97 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (2.15 mL) 4% PG gel. All treatments were applied topically. arm 5: Single-dose etoricoxib 163 mg (4.30 mL) 4% DMSO gel (DMSO formulation administered in error/overdose \[OD\]), followed by single-dose etoricoxib 150 mg (3.94 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (1.97 mL) 4% DMSO gel, followed by single-dose etoricoxib 75 mg (2.15 mL) 4% PG gel. All treatments were applied topically. arm 6: Participants randomized to a treatment sequence in Part 1 who received single dose placebo gel (1.97 or 3.94 mL) applied topically in error instead of active study drug and dropped out after the first treatment period in the sequence. Included in the safety assessments only. arm 7: Etoricoxib 50 mg (1.31 mL, 4% DMSO gel) applied topically twice daily to the affected knee for a period of 2 weeks. arm 8: Matching placebo to etoricoxib 50 mg 1.31 mL 4% DMSO gel applied topically twice daily to the affected knee for a period of 2 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: Etoricoxib 75 mg 4% DMSO Gel intervention 2: Etoricoxib 75 mg 4% PG Gel intervention 3: Etoricoxib 150 mg 4% DMSO Gel intervention 4: Etoricoxib 150 mg 4% PG Gel intervention 5: Etoricoxib 163 mg 4% DMSO gel intervention 6: Placebo intervention 7: Etoricoxib 50 mg 4% DMSO intervention 8: Matching Placebo to Etoricoxib 50 mg 4% DMSO Gel
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Etoricoxib 75 mg 4% DMSO gel applied topically. intervention 2: Etoricoxib 75 4% PG gel applied topically. intervention 3: Etoricoxib 150 mg 4% DMSO gel applied topically. intervention 4: Etoricoxib 150 mg 4% PG gel applied topically. intervention 5: Etoricoxib 163 mg 4% DMSO gel applied topically intervention 6: Placebo gel applied topically. intervention 7: Etoricoxib 50 mg 4% DMSO gel applied topically. intervention 8: Matching Placebo to Etoricoxib 50 mg 4% DMSO gel applied topically.

Protocol document: