Conditions: Bipolar Disorder, Pediatric
Keywords: Bi-polar I disorder antipsychotic serotonin dopamine noradrenalin histamine pediatric
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 404
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Efficacy and safety of asenapine for the treatment of bipolar I disorder (manic or mixed episodes) will be evaluated in participants between 10 and 17 years old, who are either hospitalized or non-hospitalized. In this 3-weeks, double-blind, parallel design trial, eligible participants will be randomized to receive one out of three fixed dose levels of asenapine, or placebo. The study primary hypothesis is that at least one asenapine dose is superior to placebo as measured by the change from baseline to Day 21 in Young Mania Rating Scale (Y-MRS) total score. Trial medication and placebo are provided as identical-looking sublingual tablets; concurrent use of psychotropics is prohibited, except use of short-acting benzodiazepines and psychostimulants approved for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Main treatment effect is measured using Y-MRS and safety is evaluated using the recordings of adverse events, routine blood panels, physical examinations (including vital signs), and electrocardiograms. Participants who complete the double blind trial may be offered to continue (open-label) treatment with asenapine for an extended period of time. Follow-up information on safety parameters will be collected in all participants within 30 days following treatment discontinuation.

Detailed description:
Participants' Y-MRS total score at baseline will be subtracted from that at the Day 21 visit to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated. The Y-MRS is an 11 item scale: seven items ranked on scale from 0 to 4 and four items ranked 0 to 8 with a range of possible total scores from 0 to 60.

Participants' overall score on the CGI-BP at Day 21 will be evaluated to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated. CGI-BP overall score is obtained from a single-item clinician-rated scale used to assess the participant's overall bipolar illness. Scores range from not ill (1) to very severely ill (7).

The proportion of participants whose total Y-MRS score is decreased ≥50% from baseline at Day 4, 7, 14 and 21. Results for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated.

Participants' mania sub-score from the CGI-BP will be evaluated for each study visit (Days 4, 7, 14 and 21) to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated.

Participants' depression sub-score from the CGI-BP will evaluated at each study visit (Days 4, 7, 14 and 21) to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated.

Participants' CDRS-R at baseline will be subtracted from those at each study visit at which this rating was measured (Days 7, 14 and 21) to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated. The CDRS-R is a 17-item scale that assesses the presence and severity of depressive symptoms: fourteen items are rated from 1 to 7 and three items are rated from 1 to 5; total scores range from 17 to 113.

Participants' CGAS at baseline will be subtracted from that at the Day 21 visit to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated. The CGAS is a 100-point scale, with a possible range of 1 to 100. Normal social functioning is defined as a CGAS total score of ≥70.

Participants' PQ-LES-Q total score at baseline will be subtracted from that at the Day 21 visit to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated. The PQ-LES-Q is a 15-item scale, with total score calculated as the sum of the first 14 items, with a range of 14 to 70. Each item is scored by the child from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicative of greater enjoyment and satisfaction.

Participants' PQ-LES-Q overall score (i.e. item 15) at baseline will be subtracted from that at the Day 21 visit to determine the amount of change over time with treatment. The responses for the 3 different asenapine doses compared to placebo will be evaluated. The PQ-LES-Q overall score is determined by the answer to item 15 on the questionnaire (range: 1 to 5).

Arms:
arm 1: Participants receive asenapine 2.5 mg BID for 21 days. arm 2: Participants receive asenapine 2.5 mg BID through Day 3. On Day 4 participants receive asenapine 2.5 mg in the morning and 5.0 mg in the evening. Participants receive asenapine 5.0 mg BID for the remainder of the 21-day treatment period. arm 3: Participants receive asenapine 2.5 mg BID through Day 3. On Day 4 participants receive asenapine 2.5 mg in the morning and 5.0 mg in the evening. On Day 5 and 6 participants receive asenapine 5.0 mg BID. On Day 7 participants receive asenapine 5.0 mg in the morning and 10.0 mg in the evening. Participants receive asenapine 10.0 mg BID for the remainder of the 21-day treatment period. arm 4: Participants receive placebo BID for 21 days.

Interventions: intervention 1: asenapine intervention 2: Placebo to match asenapine intervention 3: Rescue medication
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Asenapine tablets, administered sublingually twice daily at one of three dose levels (2.5 mg, 5.0 mg, or 10.0 mg) intervention 2: Placebo tablets to match asenapine tablets, administered sublingually twice daily intervention 3: For participants whose symptoms worsen or are not adequately controlled on assigned treatment, rescue medication may be administered during the trial in the following circumstances. For the control of agitation, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, or akathisia and extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) some benzodiazepines and EPS medications (i.e., anticholinergics) are allowed. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and beta blockers are also permitted, provided that they are not taken within 8 hours of efficacy assessments.

Protocol document: