Phase I Single Dose, Open-Label Pharmacokinetic Study and Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Dose Escalation Study of NFC-1 in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

NCT02286817 | Completed Phase 1 DMC

• 1 other identifier: NFC1-2014
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This trial is a Phase 1 study in adolescents with ADHD and genetic disruptions impacting genes in the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) network. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics following single-dose, oral administration of NFC-1 and to evaluate safety and tolerability and to obtain evidence for the effect of NFC-1 on ADHD severity and global functioning during and following four weeks of continuous treatment. Exploratory analyses will be performed to assess effect size of specific mGluR-network genes on ADHD based on responsiveness of patients to NFC-1. This study will be conducted at a single clinical site, the Jefferson University Hospital PKU (Philadelphia, PA).

Conditions

Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Assessing the safety and tolerability of NFC-1 at each dose level based on assessment of adverse events and other safety measurements including vital signs, electrocardiogram, laboratory safety tests.

  24 hours

• Profile pharmacokinetics of NFC-1 in adolescents when administered orally as single dose.

  24 hours

• Assessing the safety and tolerability of NFC-1 during 4 weeks of continuous daily administration based on assessment of adverse events and other safety measurements including vital signs, electrocardiogram, laboratory safety tests.

  1-4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• The change in Vanderbilt scores during and following 4-week treatment with NFC-1

  1-4 weeks

• The change in Actigraphy scores during and following 4-week treatment with NFC-1

  1-4 weeks

• The change in Quotient ADHD test scores during and following 4-week treatment with NFC-1

  1-4 weeks

• The change in PERMP-MATH test scores during and following 4-week treatment with NFC-1

  1-4 weeks

• The change in Clinical Global Impressions Severity/Improvement scores during and following 4-week treatment with NFC-1

  1-4 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Single arm of 30 subjects

EXPERIMENTAL

Subjects will be administered single dose of NFC-1 to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics, then proceed to continuous, daily administration of NFC-1 for 4 weeks to assess safety, tolerability, and impact on ADHD severity.

Drug: NFC-1

Interventions

NFC-1 DRUG

Single-dose, open label administration to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in adolescents with ADHD and continuous daily administration for four weeks with weekly escalation to evaluate safety, tolerability, and impact on ADHD severity.

Single arm of 30 subjects

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Patient's weight is within 5th to 95th percentile for age
• Patient has ADHD as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) and the Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scale score (Parent or Teacher) \> 16 at baseline with or without conventional ADHD therapy
• Patient has been genotyped (CAP/CLIA certified) to determine whether there are disruptive mutations in genes within the mGluR-network
• Patient has been a non-smoker and/or has not used nicotine or nicotine-containing products for at least approximately 6 months
• Patient is judged to be in good health, other than having ADHD, based on medical history, physical examination, vital signs measurements, and laboratory safety tests performed at the screening visit and/or prior to administration of study drug
• Female patients of reproductive potential will have a negative urine β-hCG test at screening and prior to drug administration. If sexually active, female participant agrees to use (and/or have their partner use) two acceptable methods of birth control beginning at least 2 weeks prior to administration of study drug and throughout the study. Acceptable methods of birth control are abstinence, or 2 of the following: intrauterine device (IUD), diaphragm, spermicides, cervical cap, contraceptive sponge, and condoms
• Patient has no clinically significant abnormality on electrocardiogram (ECG) performed at the screening visit and/or prior to administration of study drug
• Parent/legal guardian and patient understand the study procedures and agrees to the patient's participation in the study as indicated by parental/legal guardian signature on the patient consent form and patient signature on assent form

You may not qualify if:

• Patient or parent/legal guardian is, in the opinion of the investigator, mentally or legally incapacitated, has significant emotional problems at the time of screening visit or during the conduct of the study. Subjects with prior diagnosis of co-morbid major psychiatric disorders (i.e. aside from ADHD), including major depression, bipolar disease, Tourette syndrome, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder or pervasive development disorder, severe anxiety disorders
• Patient has a history of any illness that, in the opinion of the study investigator, might confound the results of the study or poses an additional risk to the patient by their participation in the study
• Patient has a history of clinically significant endocrine, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hematological, hepatic, immunological, renal, respiratory, or genitourinary abnormalities or diseases. Patients with a history of uncomplicated kidney stones may be enrolled in the study at the discretion of the investigator
• Patient has a history of stroke, chronic seizures, or major neurological disorder
• Patient is pregnant or a nursing mother
• Patient has a history of extreme psychological aversion to blood draws that in the opinion of the investigator or parents would result in compromising the study conduct. Patient has a history of extreme physiologic difficulty in venous access that in the opinion of the investigator and parents would result in compromising the study conduct
• Patient has a history of inability to swallow whole unadulterated pills, which in the opinion of the investigator or parents would result in compromising the study conduct
• Patient has a systolic or diastolic blood pressure ≥ the 95th percentile for his/her age
• Patient consumes any alcoholic beverages
• Patient consumes excessive amounts of caffeine, defined as greater than 4 servings (1 serving is approximately equivalent to 120 mg of caffeine) of coffee, tea, cola, or other caffeinated beverages per day
• Patient has a history of significant multiple and/or severe allergies, or has had an anaphylactic reaction or significant intolerability to prescription of non-prescription drugs or food
• Patient is currently a regular user (including "recreational use") of any illicit drugs (including marijuana) or has a history of drug (including alcohol) abuse within approximately 3 years
• Patient has had surgery, lost more than 5cc/kg of blood, or participated in another investigational drug trial within 4 weeks prior to the screening visit.
• Laboratory abnormalities that indicate clinically significant hematologic, hepatobiliary, or renal disease
• AST/SGOT \> 2.0 times the upper limit of normal

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Aevi Genomic Medicine, LLC, a Cerecor company: lead
• Thomas Jefferson University: collaborator
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: collaborator
• Pearson/Clinical Assessment: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Thomas Jefferson University, Clinical Research Unit

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Glessner JT, Khan ME, Chang X, Liu Y, Otieno FG, Lemma M, Slaby I, Hain H, Mentch F, Li J, Kao C, Sleiman PMA, March ME, Connolly J, Hakonarson H. Rare recurrent copy number variations in metabotropic glutamate receptor interacting genes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. J Neurodev Disord. 2023 Apr 29;15(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s11689-023-09483-z.

  PMID: 37120522 DERIVED

• Slaby I, Hain HS, Abrams D, Mentch FD, Glessner JT, Sleiman PMA, Hakonarson H. An electronic health record (EHR) phenotype algorithm to identify patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and psychiatric comorbidities. J Neurodev Disord. 2022 Jun 11;14(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s11689-022-09447-9.

  PMID: 35690720 DERIVED

• Elia J, Ungal G, Kao C, Ambrosini A, De Jesus-Rosario N, Larsen L, Chiavacci R, Wang T, Kurian C, Titchen K, Sykes B, Hwang S, Kumar B, Potts J, Davis J, Malatack J, Slattery E, Moorthy G, Zuppa A, Weller A, Byrne E, Li YR, Kraft WK, Hakonarson H. Fasoracetam in adolescents with ADHD and glutamatergic gene network variants disrupting mGluR neurotransmitter signaling. Nat Commun. 2018 Jan 16;9(1):4. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02244-2.

  PMID: 29339723 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Walter Kraft, MD

  Thomas Jefferson University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Josephine Elia, MD

  Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 1
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: INDUSTRY
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 4, 2014
• First Posted: November 10, 2014
• Study Start: January 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2015
• Study Completion: March 1, 2016
• Last Updated: October 21, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)