NCT07120971

Brief Summary

The overall objective of this study is to investigate the role of metformin in decreasing lung injury and promoting lung growth in premature infants. There are two phases to this pilot study. For Phase 0, the goal is to investigate the safety and tolerance of oral metformin in premature who have been diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36-44 weeks gestation. For Phase 1, the goal is to investigate metformin safety and tolerance in extremely premature infants who are 7-30 days old who have an increased risk of BPD. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • how well do older premature infants tolerate metformin?
  • how well do younger premature infants tolerate metformin?

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
40

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for early_phase_1

Timeline
51mo left

Started Dec 2025

Longer than P75 for early_phase_1

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress10%
Dec 2025Sep 2030

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 29, 2025

Completed
15 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 13, 2025

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 19, 2025

Completed
2.7 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

September 1, 2028

Expected
2 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 1, 2030

Last Updated

January 26, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

2.7 years

First QC Date

July 29, 2025

Last Update Submit

January 23, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

bronchopulmonary dysplasiaBPDprematuritymetformin

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

  • Number of participants who tolerate metformin

    Number of subjects who receive enteral doses of metformin and complete the study days without an adverse event while continuing enteral feedings

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of participants with treatment-related adverse events

    Number of participants who develop hypoglycemia defined as blood glucose value \<50

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of participants with treatment-related metabolic acidosis

    Number of subjects who develop lactic acid levels \> 5mmol/L

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of subjects with treatment-related feeding problems

    Number of subjects who require a decrease in enteral feeding volume by \>50% from baseline

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of subjects who require dose adjustments of metformin

    Number of subjects who need decreases in dose or discontinuation of metformin due to hepatic or renal dysfunction

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of subjects with respiratory deterioration

    Number of subjects who develop pneumonia and increases in oxygen concentration and ventilator support during the study

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of subjects who complete pharmacokinetic evaluation of metformin

    Number of subjects who have at least one metformin concentration in blood measured at 1, 4 and 12 hours after an enteric dose

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Pharmacokinetic analysis of metformin

    Area under the curve of Plasma Concentration Versus Time (AUC) of metformin over a time frame of 1, 4 and 12 hours after an enteric dose of metformin.

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Number of subjects who complete the treatment protocol

    Number of subjects who complete the study doses of enteric metformin

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Incidence of retinopathy of prematurity

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

  • Incidence of patent ductus arteriosus

    14 days after administration of the first dose of metformin

Study Arms (9)

Phase 0 - Cohort 1

EXPERIMENTAL

5mg/kg/day in two divided doses for three days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 0 - Cohort 2

EXPERIMENTAL

10mg/kg/day in two divided doses for three days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 0 - Cohort 3

EXPERIMENTAL

20mg/kg/day in two divided doses for seven days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 0 - Cohort 4

EXPERIMENTAL

25mg/kg/day in two divided doses for 14 days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 1 - Cohort 1 Escalation

EXPERIMENTAL

15mg/kg/day in a single daily dose for three days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 1 - Cohort 2 Escalation

EXPERIMENTAL

25mg/kg/day in a single daily dose for three days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 1- Cohort 3 Escalation

EXPERIMENTAL

10mg/kg/day in a single daily dose for three days

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 1 - Cohort 4 Expansion

EXPERIMENTAL

10-25mg/kg/day (dose selected from either Cohort 2 or 3)

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Phase 1 - Cohort 5 Expansion

EXPERIMENTAL

10-25mg/kg/day (dose selected from either Cohort 2 or 3)

Drug: Metformin (open-label)

Interventions

Enteric metformin 5mg/kg/day in two divided doses will be given for three days to two subjects

Phase 0 - Cohort 1

Eligibility Criteria

Age7 Days - 6 Months
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17)

You may qualify if:

  • Birth gestational age of \< 29 weeks AND
  • Postnatal age between 8 and 22 weeks AND
  • Diagnosed with BPD at 36 weeks postnatal age
  • Birth gestational age of \< 29 weeks, AND
  • Requiring mechanical ventilation or positive pressure support at 7 days postnatal age, AND
  • Postnatal age between 7 and 30 days

You may not qualify if:

  • Persistent hypoglycemia
  • Lactic acidosis
  • Feeding intolerance
  • Renal or hepatic dysfunction
  • Active infection
  • Congenital anomalies that preclude feedings
  • Infants whose parents have chosen palliative care

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Children's Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (23)

  • Rana U, Joshi C, Whitney E, Afolayan A, Dowell J, Teng RJ, Konduri GG. Decreased Liver Kinase B1 Expression and Impaired Angiogenesis in a Murine Model of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2024 Oct;71(4):481-494. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2024-0037OC.

    PMID: 38869353BACKGROUND
  • Alemon-Medina R, Altamirano-Bustamante N, Lugo-Goytia G, Garcia-Alvarez R, Rivera-Espinosa L, Torres-Espindola LM, Chavez-Pacheco JL, Juarez-Olguin H, Gomez-Garduno J, Flores-Perez C, Fernandez-Perez PG. Comparative Bioavailability and Pharmacokinetics Between the Solid Form of Metformin vs a Novel Liquid Extemporaneous Formulation in Children. Dose Response. 2021 Sep 27;19(3):15593258211033140. doi: 10.1177/15593258211033140. eCollection 2021 Jul-Sep.

    PMID: 34602916BACKGROUND
  • Kirkpatrick EC, Mitchell ME, Thilly WG, Cava J, Tomita-Mitchell A, Gostjeva EV. Use of Metformin in Pulmonary Vein Stenosis after TAPVR Repair. Glob Pediatr Health. 2020 Sep 25;7:2333794X20958924. doi: 10.1177/2333794X20958924. eCollection 2020. No abstract available.

    PMID: 33029553BACKGROUND
  • Ayoub R, Ruddy RM, Cox E, Oyefiade A, Derkach D, Laughlin S, Ades-Aron B, Shirzadi Z, Fieremans E, MacIntosh BJ, de Medeiros CB, Skocic J, Bouffet E, Miller FD, Morshead CM, Mabbott DJ. Assessment of cognitive and neural recovery in survivors of pediatric brain tumors in a pilot clinical trial using metformin. Nat Med. 2020 Aug;26(8):1285-1294. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0985-2. Epub 2020 Jul 27.

    PMID: 32719487BACKGROUND
  • Biag HMB, Potter LA, Wilkins V, Afzal S, Rosvall A, Salcedo-Arellano MJ, Rajaratnam A, Manzano-Nunez R, Schneider A, Tassone F, Rivera SM, Hagerman RJ. Metformin treatment in young children with fragile X syndrome. Mol Genet Genomic Med. 2019 Nov;7(11):e956. doi: 10.1002/mgg3.956. Epub 2019 Sep 14.

    PMID: 31520524BACKGROUND
  • Brittain EL, Niswender K, Agrawal V, Chen X, Fan R, Pugh ME, Rice TW, Robbins IM, Song H, Thompson C, Ye F, Yu C, Zhu H, West J, Newman JH, Hemnes AR. Mechanistic Phase II Clinical Trial of Metformin in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Nov 17;9(22):e018349. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.120.018349. Epub 2020 Nov 10.

    PMID: 33167773BACKGROUND
  • Liao S, Li D, Hui Z, McLachlan CS, Zhang Y. Metformin added to bosentan therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart defects: a pilot study. ERJ Open Res. 2018 Aug 22;4(3):00060-2018. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00060-2018. eCollection 2018 Jul.

    PMID: 30151369BACKGROUND
  • Wang X, Liu Y, Han D, Zhong J, Yang C, Chen X. Dose-dependent immunomodulatory effects of metformin on human neonatal monocyte-derived macrophages. Cell Immunol. 2022 Jul;377:104557. doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2022.104557. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

    PMID: 35679651BACKGROUND
  • Jing Y, Wu F, Li D, Yang L, Li Q, Li R. Metformin improves obesity-associated inflammation by altering macrophages polarization. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2018 Feb 5;461:256-264. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.09.025. Epub 2017 Sep 18.

    PMID: 28935544BACKGROUND
  • Howie SR. Blood sample volumes in child health research: review of safe limits. Bull World Health Organ. 2011 Jan 1;89(1):46-53. doi: 10.2471/BLT.10.080010. Epub 2010 Sep 10.

    PMID: 21346890BACKGROUND
  • Autmizguine J, Benjamin DK Jr, Smith PB, Sampson M, Ovetchkine P, Cohen-Wolkowiez M, Watt KM. Pharmacokinetic studies in infants using minimal-risk study designs. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2014;9(4):350-8. doi: 10.2174/1574884709666140520153308.

    PMID: 24844642BACKGROUND
  • General clinical pharmacology considerations for neonatal studies for drugs and biological products- Guidance for industry. Food and Drug Administration. Clinical Pharmacology July 2022

    BACKGROUND
  • See KC. Metformin-associated lactic acidosis: A mini review of pathophysiology, diagnosis and management in critically ill patients. World J Diabetes. 2024 Jun 15;15(6):1178-1186. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v15.i6.1178.

    PMID: 38983827BACKGROUND
  • Le Tourneau C, Lee JJ, Siu LL. Dose escalation methods in phase I cancer clinical trials. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009 May 20;101(10):708-20. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djp079. Epub 2009 May 12.

    PMID: 19436029BACKGROUND
  • DeFronzo R, Fleming GA, Chen K, Bicsak TA. Metformin-associated lactic acidosis: Current perspectives on causes and risk. Metabolism. 2016 Feb;65(2):20-9. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2015.10.014. Epub 2015 Oct 9.

    PMID: 26773926BACKGROUND
  • Hutchinson AM, Pais R, Endginton AN, Pilon B, MacDonald JM, MacDonald ME, Lewis T, Offringa M, Kalish BT. Safety and feasibility trial protocol of metformin in infants after perinatal brain injury. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2025 Aug 24;9(1):e002784. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-002784.

    PMID: 40850908BACKGROUND
  • Higgins RD, Jobe AH, Koso-Thomas M, Bancalari E, Viscardi RM, Hartert TV, Ryan RM, Kallapur SG, Steinhorn RH, Konduri GG, Davis SD, Thebaud B, Clyman RI, Collaco JM, Martin CR, Woods JC, Finer NN, Raju TNK. Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: Executive Summary of a Workshop. J Pediatr. 2018 Jun;197:300-308. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.01.043. Epub 2018 Mar 16. No abstract available.

    PMID: 29551318BACKGROUND
  • Abman SH, Bancalari E, Jobe A. The Evolution of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia after 50 Years. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Feb 15;195(4):421-424. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201611-2386ED. No abstract available.

    PMID: 28199157BACKGROUND
  • Hardie DG, Ross FA, Hawley SA. AMPK: a nutrient and energy sensor that maintains energy homeostasis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2012 Mar 22;13(4):251-62. doi: 10.1038/nrm3311.

    PMID: 22436748BACKGROUND
  • Park SI, Lee H, Oh J, Lim KS, Jang IJ, Kim JA, Jung JH, Yu KS. A fixed-dose combination tablet of gemigliptin and metformin sustained release has comparable pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and tolerability profiles to separate tablets in healthy subjects. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2015 Feb 4;9:729-36. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S75980. eCollection 2015.

    PMID: 25678778BACKGROUND
  • Kuhlmann I, Noddebo Nyrup A, Bjerregaard Stage T, Hougaard Christensen MM, Korshoj Bergmann T, Damkier P, Nielsen F, Hojlund K, Brosen K. Oral and intravenous pharmacokinetics of metformin with and without oral codeine intake in healthy subjects: A cross-over study. Clin Transl Sci. 2021 Nov;14(6):2408-2419. doi: 10.1111/cts.13107. Epub 2021 Aug 12.

    PMID: 34268884BACKGROUND
  • Yadav A, Rana U, Michalkiewicz T, Teng RJ, Konduri GG. Decreased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) function and protective effect of metformin in neonatal rat pups exposed to hyperoxia lung injury. Physiol Rep. 2020 Sep;8(18):e14587. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14587.

    PMID: 32959498BACKGROUND
  • Ratner V, Starkov A, Matsiukevich D, Polin RA, Ten VS. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to alveolar developmental arrest in hyperoxia-exposed mice. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2009 May;40(5):511-8. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2008-0341RC. Epub 2009 Jan 23.

    PMID: 19168698BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Bronchopulmonary DysplasiaPremature Birth

Interventions

Metformin

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Ventilator-Induced Lung InjuryLung InjuryLung DiseasesRespiratory Tract DiseasesInfant, Premature, DiseasesInfant, Newborn, DiseasesCongenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and AbnormalitiesObstetric Labor, PrematureObstetric Labor ComplicationsPregnancy ComplicationsFemale Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy ComplicationsUrogenital Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

BiguanidesGuanidinesAmidinesOrganic Chemicals

Study Officials

  • G. Ganesh Konduri, MD, MS

    Medical College of Wisconsin

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Kathleen Meskin, BSN, RN, CCRP

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
early phase 1
Allocation
NON RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
SEQUENTIAL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor, Division Chief of Neonatology

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 29, 2025

First Posted

August 13, 2025

Study Start

December 19, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2030

Last Updated

January 26, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Since this is a small phase 0 and phase 1 study with enrollment of 4-30 infants from one site only in a short time frame, we are concerned about potential for unmasking the identification of individual identification from the sharing of individual patient data.

Locations