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CTRI Number  CTRI/2025/09/095481 [Registered on: 30/09/2025] Trial Registered Prospectively
Last Modified On: 30/09/2025
Post Graduate Thesis  Yes 
Type of Trial  Interventional 
Type of Study   Drug 
Study Design  Randomized, Parallel Group, Placebo Controlled Trial 
Public Title of Study   Effect of Low-dose naltrexone in osteoarthritis pain 
Scientific Title of Study   EVALUATION OF EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF LOW-DOSE NALTREXONE IN PATIENT WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL 
Trial Acronym  NIL 
Secondary IDs if Any  
Secondary ID  Identifier 
NIL  NIL 
 
Details of Principal Investigator or overall Trial Coordinator (multi-center study)  
Name  Debasish Hota 
Designation  Professor  
Affiliation  AIIMS Bhubaneswar 751019 
Address  Department of Pharmacology
Academic Block Room No 115 AIIMS Bhubaneswar
Khordha
ORISSA
751019
India 
Phone  9438884190  
Fax    
Email  pharm_debasish@aiimsbhubaneswar.edu.in  
 
Details of Contact Person
Scientific Query
 
Name  Debasish Hota 
Designation  Professor  
Affiliation  AIIMS Bhubaneswar 751019 
Address  Department of Pharmacology
Academic Block Room No 115 AIIMS Bhubaneswar
Khordha
ORISSA
751019
India 
Phone  9438884190  
Fax    
Email  pharm_debasish@aiimsbhubaneswar.edu.in  
 
Details of Contact Person
Public Query
 
Name  DR RINI FASNI K 
Designation  Junior Resident 
Affiliation  AIIMS Bhubaneswar 751019 
Address  Department of Pharmacology
Academic Block Room No 115 AIIMS Bhubaneswar
Khordha
ORISSA
751019
India 
Phone  7092322399  
Fax    
Email  rinifasnik@gmail.com  
 
Source of Monetary or Material Support  
Drug sample be obtained form the Pharmaceutical industry as the conduct of investigator initiated trial 
 
Primary Sponsor  
Name  AIIMS Bhubaneswar 
Address  Bhubaneswar 751019 Odisha 
Type of Sponsor  Government medical college 
 
Details of Secondary Sponsor  
Name  Address 
NIL  Not Applicable 
 
Countries of Recruitment     India  
Sites of Study  
No of Sites = 2  
Name of Principal Investigator  Name of Site  Site Address  Phone/Fax/Email 
Dr Sujit Kumar Tripathy  All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhubaneswar  Room No.17, OPD Block Department of Orthopedics AIIMS Bhubaneswar-751019 Bhubaneswar-751019
Khordha
ORISSA 
9438884155

ortho_sujit@aiimsbhubaneswar.edu.in 
Debasish Hota  All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar  Room No. 115, Academic Block Department of Pharmacology AIIMS Bhubaneswar-751019
Khordha
ORISSA 
9438884190

pharm_debasish@aiimsbhubaneswar.edu.in 
 
Details of Ethics Committee  
No of Ethics Committees= 1  
Name of Committee  Approval Status 
Institutional Ethics Committee  Approved 
 
Regulatory Clearance Status from DCGI  
Status 
Not Applicable 
 
Health Condition / Problems Studied  
Health Type  Condition 
Patients  (1) ICD-10 Condition: M170||Bilateral primary osteoarthritis of knee,  
 
Intervention / Comparator Agent  
Type  Name  Details 
Comparator Agent  Mached placebo  To be administered once daily for 8 weeks 
Intervention  Tablet naltrexone 5 mg  To be administered once daily for 8 weeks 
 
Inclusion Criteria  
Age From  45.00 Year(s)
Age To  75.00 Year(s)
Gender  Both 
Details  - Patients of either sex having age between 45 75 years with clinical diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis grade 1 or 2 according to Kellgren and Lawrence system for classification of osteoarthritis
- Patient with VAS score more than 2 out of 10
- Patients who are willing to give informed written consent
 
 
ExclusionCriteria 
Details  - Patient with history of hypersensitivity to naltrexone
- Patient on treatment with any type of prior opioid medication
- Patient with history of opioid or alcohol abuse
- Patient on treatment with systemic corticosteroid within the last 4 weeks
- Patient with diagnosis other than osteoarthritis
- Patient on treatment with intra-articular injection such as corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid
- Patient with abnormal liver functions with total bilirubin more than 2.5 mg per deciliter
- Patient with severe acute infection, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus congenital or acquired immunodeficiency liver cirrhosis severe cardiac disease or myocardial infarction in last 1 month
- Patients with blood hemoglobin levels less than 9 grams per dL, absolute lymphocyte count less than 500 cells and or absolute neutrophil count less than 1000 cells per cubic mm of blood
- Patient with abnormal renal or liver functions with creatinine more than 2 mg per deciliter or serum total cholesterol more than 200mg per dl).
- Patient with severe active infection like active tuberculosis hepatitis B or C or positive HIV serology at screening
- Patient with known or suspected history of immunosuppression or history of opportunistic infections like tuberculosis histoplasmosis listeriosis coccidioidomycosis or aspergillosis
- Pregnant or lactating woman or woman of childbearing age without effective contraception
 
 
Method of Generating Random Sequence   Computer generated randomization 
Method of Concealment   Pre-numbered or coded identical Containers 
Blinding/Masking   Participant and Investigator Blinded 
Primary Outcome  
Outcome  TimePoints 
• To evaluate the efficacy of add on low dose naltrexone against add on placebo in patients with knee osteoarthritis using reduction in the VAS score for 8 weeks.   At baseline 4 and 8 weeks 
 
Secondary Outcome  
Outcome  TimePoints 
• To compare the proportion of patients achieving WOMAC score 0 or a reduction of 10 grade from baseline
• To compare the percentage of patients with Oxford Knee Score (OKS) pain subscale of 28 or a 3-point reduction from baseline
• To evaluate and compare the EQ-5D score from base line
• To evaluate and compare changes in serum TNF alpha level from baseline
• To assess change in complete blood count, ESR, liver function test, renal function test, and serum lipid profile from baseline to 4 and 8 weeks after therapy.
• To evaluate the number and frequency of rescue medications needed in LDN group compared to placebo group.
• To evaluate the safety and tolerability of Low Dose Naltrexone compared to placebo in patients with knee osteoarthritis, as measured by the incidence and severity of adverse events.

 
At baseline 4 and 8 weeks 
 
Target Sample Size   Total Sample Size="130"
Sample Size from India="130" 
Final Enrollment numbers achieved (Total)= "Applicable only for Completed/Terminated trials"
Final Enrollment numbers achieved (India)="Applicable only for Completed/Terminated trials" 
Phase of Trial   Phase 3 
Date of First Enrollment (India)   16/10/2025 
Date of Study Completion (India) Applicable only for Completed/Terminated trials 
Date of First Enrollment (Global)  Date Missing 
Date of Study Completion (Global) Applicable only for Completed/Terminated trials 
Estimated Duration of Trial   Years="1"
Months="6"
Days="0" 
Recruitment Status of Trial (Global)   Not Applicable 
Recruitment Status of Trial (India)  Not Yet Recruiting 
Publication Details   N/A 
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement

Will individual participant data (IPD) be shared publicly (including data dictionaries)?  

Response - NO
Brief Summary  

Despite considerable progress in the field, the primary treatments for Osteoarthritis remain traditional. Existing medical treatments such as NSAIDs corticosteroids, and opioids mainly offer symptom relief without targeting the underlying causes of the condition. Although these drugs can provide temporary benefit, they are often associated with adverse effects like gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and kidney complications, and opioids carry a risk of addiction. Moreover these treatments fall short in addressing the neuroinflammation and central pain sensitization that play a crucial role in the persistence and intensity of OA pain leaving many patients inadequately treated. In recent it has shown that in osteoarthritis there is activation of toll like receptor 4 or TLR4 in innate immune cells and further activation of NFkB pathway in leading to cytokine release and further damage. Low dose naltrexone or LDN represents a novel treatment strategy that targets both immune and nervous system pathways involved in chronic pain. In low doses, it briefly blocks opioid receptors, leading to a compensatory increase in the body’s natural opioid. Also dampen inflammation by inhibiting TLR4 and thereby suppressing microglial cell activity. This action decreases the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF alpha IL1beta and IL6 which are known to contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. LDN has demonstrated potential in managing various chronic pain and inflammatory conditions, with a favourable safety profile, low addiction risk and low cost. Its dual action on inflammation and nerve sensitization makes it a promising option for knee OA treatment. We hypothesise that LDN may act on TLR4 on peripheral innate immune cells and modulate the activity and decrease the pro inflammatory cytokines release in OA there for we propose this study.


 
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