Suvorexant as an Adjunct to Buprenorphine in Persons Who Use Fentanyl

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phasePhase 2
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-65
SponsorJohns Hopkins University

About this trial

This is a 4-week, randomized-controlled trial of suvorexant vs placebo in persons with opioid use disorder who have recent fentanyl exposure. Participants will first undergo a 5-day residential phase wherein participants are stabilized on sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone, followed by a 3-week outpatient phase wherein participants are maintained on sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone and transitioned to extended-release buprenorphine).

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Aged 18-65

Meets DSM-5 criteria for opioid use disorder (OUD) with evidence of physical dependence on opioids

Provides a urine sample that tests positive for fentanyl and/or fentanyl analogues

Interest in being maintained on buprenorphine for OUD

Disqualifiers

Medically contraindicated for buprenorphine, extended-release (XR)-buprenorphine (Sublocade), or suvorexant (as per medication labels)

Pregnant or breast feeding

Severe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5 alcohol or benzodiazepine use disorder or evidence of alcohol/benzodiazepine physical dependence

Have a known allergy to the study medications

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Suvorexant

    Drug

    Encapsulated suvorexant (matched for color, weight, and size)

  • Placebo

    Drug

    Encapsulated placebo (matched for color, weight, and size)

Treatment groups

120 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: SuvorexantExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: PlaceboPlacebo comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Total Sleep Time

Duration of nightly total sleep time in minutes, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG) and supplemented by actigraphy/photoplethysmography (e.g., if EEG malfunctions).

Time frame
3 nights during the initial residential phase and 1 night at the end of outpatient treatment
2

Buprenorphine compliance as assessed by the number of study days complying with buprenorphine treatment

Buprenorphine compliance will be assessed by the number of study days complying with buprenorphine treatment.

Time frame
25 days across residential and outpatient treatment

Secondary outcomes

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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Johns Hopkins University

Lead sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Collaborator