Cariprazine Versus Placebo for Social Anxiety Disorder

This is an interventional treatment trial for Social Anxiety Disorder focused on measuring SAD, Social Anxiety, Social Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder Read More

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female adults between 18 and 65 years of age (inclusive).
• Subjects must give written informed consent prior to any study procedures.
• Diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) (300.23 Social Anxiety Disorder) according to DSM-5 criteria, as determined by psychiatric evaluation with the Investigator and confirmed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI).
• Subjects must have a minimum total score of 70 on the LSAS at both Screening and Baseline visits.
• Subjects must have a total Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score of less than 16 at the Screening and Baseline visits.
• Subjects must have a Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) score of 4 or greater at both Screening and Baseline visits.
• All subjects of childbearing potential must commit to an effective form of contraception for the duration of the trial and for at least 4 weeks after it ends. Effective forms of contraception include: condoms with spermicide, diaphragm with spermicide, hormonal contraceptive agents (oral, transdermal, or injectable), or implantable contraceptive devices. Abstinence from heterosexual intercourse will also be considered an effective form of contraception, if abstinence is part of the subject's usual lifestyle.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects with any Axis I disorder other than SAD (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder) within 24 weeks of the Baseline visit. Subjects with co-morbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), dysthymia, or specific phobias will be allowed if SAD is the primary disorder in terms of clinical severity, as determined by the investigator.
• Subjects with any history or complication of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
• Subjects with a complication of body dysmorphic disorder.
• Substance use disorder, as defined by DSM-5 criteria, within 24 weeks of the Baseline visit.
• Subjects who are currently pregnant, lactating, or of childbearing potential and not able and willing to practice an effective method of contraception for the duration of the trial and at least 4 weeks after the final study visit.
• Subjects scoring >2 on item #3 of the HAM-D at Baseline, or who, in the opinion of the PI, are at a clinically significant risk for suicide.
• Significant risk for suicidal behavior during the course of study participation, in the opinion of the investigator, or recent (within the last 6 months prior to screening) suicidal behavior defined as scoring "yes" on items 4 or 5 in the Suicidal Ideation section of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) at Screening or Baseline, or any suicide attempt within the 6 months prior to screening.
• Systolic blood pressure ≥165 and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥95, as measured at Screening and Baseline visits.
• Positive Urine Drug Screen at the Baseline visit, unless due to prescribed medication.
• Any current unstable and/or clinically significant medical condition, based on history or as evidenced in screening laboratory or ECG assessments.
• Current diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus (type 1 or 2).
• Current diagnosis or past history of significant cardiovascular disease.
• Screening laboratory results showing: transaminases (ALT or AST) greater than 2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) at screening, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1000 at screening, or active Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
• Subjects with a history or complication of cancer or malignant tumor not in remission for at least 5 years. Basal cell skin cancers are not exclusionary.
• Any history of seizure or seizure disorder, with the exception of a single childhood febrile seizure.
• Subjects for whom cariprazine is contraindicated.
• Subjects receiving fluoxetine within 28 days of the Baseline visit.
• Subjects receiving Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) within 14 days of the Baseline visit.
• Subjects receiving any other psychotropics (including but not limited to: gabapentin, pregabalin, antipsychotics, Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), benzodiazepines, and sedative hypnotics other than zolpidem) within 14 days of the Baseline visit. Zolpidem (Ambien®) taken as needed (PRN) is allowed for insomnia if not taken more than 3 times per week.
• Subjects who started psychotherapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) within 24 weeks of the Baseline visit, except for supportive psychotherapy. Subjects who have been receiving psychotherapy or CBT for more than 24 weeks prior to the Baseline visit are eligible provided that the therapy continues at the same frequency for the duration of the trial.
• Subjects receiving electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) within 12 weeks of the Baseline visit.
• Treatment refractory SAD, defined for this study as: subjects who have a history of two or more failed treatment trials with an FDA-approved SAD treatment, whereby a treatment trial is defined as a period of at least 6 weeks during which the subject received an adequate dosage of the SAD treatment