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GHADD
UnknownPhase EARLY_1Gut Hormones in Obesity, Nicotine and Alcohol Dependence
Do Appetitive Gut Hormones Reduce Addictive and Eating Behaviours in Obesity, and Nicotine and Alcohol Dependence?
Lead sponsor
Asset
Exenatide
Intravenous · GLP-1 agonist
Listed sites
1
Recruiting sites
—
Enrollment
95
actual
Study population
Alcohol / substance use, Obesity / overweight
Key I/E criteria
•BMI 28-50•Healthy volunteers
Primary endpoint
•Functional MRI measure of brain activation during cigarette, alcohol
Footprint
Where this trial recruits
Site locations as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov. Site count is not enrollment count; per-site enrollment is not available from source.
Identifiers
Registered as
Timeline
Milestones
Assets
Investigational agents
Study populations
Who this study enrolls
Eligibility
Who can enroll
Inclusion criteria
1. Male or female volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60 years.
2. Healthy as determined by a responsible physician, based on a medical evaluation including medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, cardiac monitoring and a psychiatric evaluation. Any volunteer with a clinical abnormality or laboratory parameters outside the reference range for the population being studied may be included, only if the investigators concur that the finding is unlikely to jeopardize either volunteer safety or study integrity.
3. The subject is capable of giving written informed consent, which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the consent form.
4. The subject is able to read, comprehend and record information written in English.
5. For non-dependent groups:
i) Overweight/obese volunteers with BMI 28.0-50.0 kg/m2.
6. For addiction groups:
Subjects meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-V criteria for previous nicotine or alcohol dependence, but who are in early stable abstinence (>6 weeks). Minor lapses within this time period will be allowed but not relapses into dependence.
ii) Abstinent alcohol dependent individuals who score at least moderately alcohol dependent as measured retrospectively using the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ), and who have been abstinent for >6 weeks.
iii) Abstinent tobacco dependent individuals who score at least moderately on tobacco dependence as measured retrospectively using the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and who have been in stable tobacco abstinence for >6 weeks.
Exclusion criteria
Potential volunteers will NOT be eligible for inclusion in this study if any of the following criteria apply:
1. Previous history of recreational use or abuse of other substances of addiction will be permissible, but there should be no use of any illegal drugs (except cannabis) in the month prior to the Screening Visit or during the course of the study, except where specified for individual groups below.
2. For individual groups:
i) Overweight/obese group: history of or current alcohol abuse or dependence; nicotine use other than "never smoked", i.e. >100 cigarettes lifetime use; history of dependence, abuse or heavy recreational use of cocaine, cannabis, opiates or other substance of abuse; history of problem gambling. Any previous or current psychiatric diagnosis listed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-V Axis I, which in the opinion of the clinical team will compromise conduct and interpretability of the study.
ii) Abstinent tobacco dependent group: history of or current alcohol abuse or dependence; current dependence for cocaine, cannabis, opiates or other substance of abuse, or problem gambling (previous history will be allowed); taking varenicline, bupropion or other prescription medications for smoking cessation. Any previous or current psychiatric diagnosis listed in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-V Axis I, which in the opinion of the clinical team will compromise conduct and interpretability of the study.
iii) Abstinent alcohol dependent group: current dependence for cocaine, cannabis, opiates or other substance of abuse, or problem gambling (previous history will be allowed); taking prescription medication for alcohol or smoking cessation or withdrawal; smoking is allowed past or present including dependence; current nicotine replacement therapy is allowed.
3. Currently suffering from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-V depressive disorder or on anti-depressant medication, though a history of depression or anxiety will be allowed. A current or past history of enduring severe mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder) will not be allowed.
For all groups:
4. Cannabis use up to five times in the month prior to the Screening Visit will be allowed, but no use within one week of experimental assessments; no use of any other illegal drugs in the month prior to the Screening Visit or during the course of the study.
5. Intoxication at any of the visits, as manifested by difficulty in walking, slurring of speech, difficulty concentrating or drowsiness (or by the subject volunteering this information directly to the research team).
6. Positive drug/alcohol screens on testing at the screening visit, other than that explicable by other causes (e.g. recent use of opiate containing analgesic etc), at the discretion of the research team.
7. Carbon monoxide levels of =/>10ppm in the overweight/obese and abstinent smoker groups at screening visit.
8. Use of current regular prescriptions (including smoking or alcohol cessation medicines such as Disulfiram, Acamprosate, Naltrexone, Bupropion; weight loss medication including Orlistat, Metformin, GLP-1 agonists, Bupropion, Naltrexone), or over-the-counter medications that in the opinion of the Investigators may affect subject safety or outcome measures.
9. Pulse rate <40 or >100 beats per minute OR systolic blood pressure >160 and <100 and a diastolic blood pressure >95 and <50 in the semi-supine position.
10. Claustrophobia or feels that they will be unable to lay still on their back in the MRI scanner for a period of ~80 minutes.
11. Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or other electronic device or ferromagnetic metal foreign bodies as assessed by a standard pre-MRI questionnaire and radiographer.
12. History or presence of a neurological diagnosis (not limited to but including, for example, stroke, epilepsy, space occupying lesions, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, transient ischemic attack, that may influence the outcome or analysis of the scan results). A history of alcohol-related or alcohol-withdrawal seizures will be allowed for volunteers in the abstinent alcoholic group.
13. Significant current or past medical or psychiatric history that, in the opinion of the investigators, contraindicates their participation.
14. Clinically significant head injury (e.g. requiring hospitalisation or surgical intervention) that in the opinion of the investigators may affect subject safety or outcome measures.
15. Unwillingness or inability to follow the procedures outlined in the protocol.
16. Any of the following liver function tests (LFT) abnormalities at screening: Alkaline Phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or gammaGT > 4 x upper limit of normal (ULN), International Normalised ratio (INR) > 1.5, Albumin <25 g/L, raised bilirubin (other than just isolated i.e. without other liver function tests abnormalities).
17. History of decompensated alcoholic liver disease - i.e. history of variceal bleeding, ascites, jaundice, encephalopathy.
18. History of pancreatitis from any cause.
19. History of type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
20. ECG abnormality, which in the opinion of the study physician, is clinically significant and represents a safety risk.
21. The volunteer has participated in a clinical trial and has received an investigational product within the following time period prior to the first experimental visit in the current study: 90 days, 5 half-lives or twice the duration of the biological effect of the investigational product (whichever is longer).
22. Exposure to more than 3 new investigational medicinal products within 12 months prior to the scan.
23. History of sensitivity to any of the peptides, or components thereof, or a history of drug or other allergy that, in the opinion of the investigators, contraindicates their participation.
24. Diagnosis of endocrine disorder, including uncontrolled hypothyroidism (stable treated hypothyroidism with currently normal thyroid function tests is allowed), history of hyperthyroidism or Cushing's syndrome, which, in the opinion of the investigators, may affect subject safety or outcome measures.
25. History of ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia or peripheral vascular or cerebrovascular disease.
26. History or presence of significant respiratory, gastrointestinal, hepatic, oncological or renal disease or other condition that in the opinion of the Investigators may affect subject safety or outcome measures.
27. Previous bariatric surgery for obesity including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy.
28. Current pregnancy or breast-feeding in female volunteers.
29. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten or lactose-intolerant.
30. Volunteers who have donated, or intend to donate, blood within three months before the screening visit or following study visit completion.
Endpoints (49)
What's being measured
Protocol endpoints and posted registry outcome measures, grouped into outcome categories. Composite endpoints show their component event types. Standard codes (LOINC, SNOMED CT) are shown where available.
Coverage by outcome category
Glycemic / diabetes
2 endpointsPlasma glucose concentration
Time frame:4 years
descriptive, improvement
Serum insulin concentration
Time frame:4 years
concentration, descriptive
Cardiometabolic biomarkers
2 endpointsPlasma desacyl ghrelin concentration
Time frame:4 years
concentration, descriptive
Plasma acyl ghrelin concentration
Time frame:4 years
concentration, descriptive
Patient-reported / QoL
10 endpointsHunger visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive, improvement
Alcohol Urge Questionnaire
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Food craving visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Fullness visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Sweet taste intensity visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Fat taste intensity visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Fat taste just right visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Sweet taste just right visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Fat taste pleasant visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Sweet taste pleasant visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Safety / tolerability / PK
3 endpointsPlasma GLP1 concentration
Time frame:4 years
Plasma concentration (steady state)
concentration, descriptive
Plasma exenatide concentration
Time frame:4 years
Plasma concentration (steady state)
concentration, descriptive
Nausea visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Other clinical outcomes
24 endpointsFunctional MRI measure of brain activation during anticipation of winning monetary reward (monetary incentive delay task)
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Functional MRI measure of brain activation during negative emotional reactivity task
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Functional MRI measure of brain activity in salience resting state network
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Functional MRI measure of brain activity in limbic resting state network
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Functional MRI measure of brain activity in default mode resting state network
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Questionnaire of Smoking Urges
Time frame:4 years
descriptive, improvement
Progressive ratio task breakpoint
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Ratio of speed of approach to avoidance for food vs. object pictures
Time frame:4 years
ratio, descriptive
Ratio of speed of approach to avoidance for alcohol vs. object pictures
Time frame:4 years
ratio, improvement
Ratio of speed of approach to avoidance for cigarette vs. object pictures
Time frame:4 years
ratio, improvement
Food picture appeal rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Alcohol picture appeal rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Cigarette picture appeal rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Sweet taste liking visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Fat taste liking visual analogue scale rating
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Paired associates learning task number of trials required to locate patterns correctly
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Paired associates learning task memory score
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Paired associates learning task number of stages completed
Time frame:4 years
change from baseline, improvement
Cambridge gambling task risk taking measure
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Cambridge gambling task quality of decision taking measure
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Smoking relapse rate at 6 months after completion of the study in ex-smokers
Time frame:4 years
threshold achievement, event
Smoking relapse rate at 12 months after completion of the study in ex-smokers
Time frame:4 years
threshold achievement, event
Alcohol relapse rate at 6 months after completion of the study in ex-drinkers
Time frame:4 years
event count, event
Alcohol relapse rate at 12 months after completion of the study in ex-drinkers
Time frame:4 years
event count, event
Other (unclassified)
8 endpointsFunctional MRI measure of brain activation during cigarette, alcohol and food picture evaluation task
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Percentage of unsuccessful stop trials
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Energy intake at test meal in kilocalories
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Energy intake of sugar at test meal as percentage of total
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Energy intake of fat at test meal as percentage of total
Time frame:4 years
descriptive
Serum cortisol concentration
Time frame:4 years
concentration, descriptive
Serum growth hormone concentration
Time frame:4 years
concentration, descriptive
Plasma peptide YY concentration
Time frame:4 years
concentration, descriptive
Publications (9)
Bibliography
Records linked to this trial through ClinicalTrials.gov references, PubMed NCT search, and curated study seeds. 'Canonical' marks design/result papers; others are registry references or candidates.
Registry references + supporting bibliography
- The American journal of clinical nutrition2014 Jun (month)PMID24760977doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.075291via CT.gov background
- Molecular and cellular endocrinology2011 Jun 20PMID21354264doi:10.1016/j.mce.2011.02.017via CT.gov background
- Addiction (Abingdon, England)1993 Jun (month)PMID8329970doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb02093.xvia CT.gov background
- British journal of addiction1991 Sep (month)PMID1932883doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01879.xvia CT.gov background
Provenance
Sources
Trial facts come from public ClinicalTrials.gov records. Endpoint categories are Delfa's classification of those records, not a ClinicalTrials.gov field. All figures reflect the July 1, 2026 snapshot.