Phase 2
N=100
Intranasal Oxytocin for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use Disorder · Alcohol Misuse
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03878316 ↗Enrolled (actual)
100
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Jul 2025
Primary outcome: Primary: Weekly Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days — 51.5; 52.9 percentage of days per week
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Interventions
- Instranasal Oxytocin (Drug)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2023
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Weekly Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days |
51.5; 52.9 | — |
| SECONDARY Percentage of Subjects With no Heavy Drinking Days |
2.1; 6.3 | — |
| SECONDARY Percentage of Subjects Abstinent From Alcohol |
0; 2.1 | — |
| SECONDARY Percentage of Subjects With at Least a 1-level World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease |
59.6; 53.2 | — |
| SECONDARY Percentage of Subjects With at Least a 2-level World Health Organization (WHO) Drinking Risk Category Decrease |
23.4; 23.4 | — |
| SECONDARY Percentage of Days Abstinent Per Week |
23.2; 22.6 | — |
| SECONDARY Weekly Mean Number of Drinks Per Week |
33.1; 34.7 | — |
| SECONDARY Weekly Mean Drinks Per Drinking Day |
6.2; 6.3 | — |
| SECONDARY Number of Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms (MINI) |
3.9; 4.2 | — |
| SECONDARY Cigarettes Smoked Per Week Among Smokers |
40.6; 45.9 | — |
| SECONDARY Abstinence From Cigarette Smoking Among Smokers |
0; 0 | — |
| SECONDARY Other Nicotine Product Use - Days Per Week Among Other Nicotine Product Users |
4.9; 5.4 | — |
| SECONDARY Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS) Scores (Attachment-related Anxiety Subscale) |
2.4; 2.4 | — |
| SECONDARY PROMIS Sleep Disturbances Score |
51.0; 51.3 | — |
| SECONDARY PROMIS Alcohol-related Negative Consequences Score |
48.5; 47.7 | — |
| SECONDARY PROMIS Pain Interference Score |
52.2; 52.5 | — |
| SECONDARY Profile of Moods States (POMS) - Total Mood Disturbance |
8.9; 7.6 | — |
| SECONDARY Urge to Drink Alcohol Craving Score |
13.6; 13.2 | — |
Summary
Primary: The primary objective of the study is to compare the efficacy of intranasal oxytocin in reducing the weekly percentage of heavy drinking days over the 10 weeks of maintenance treatment among subjects with moderate to severe Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). A "heavy drinking day" is 4 or more drinks per drinking day for women and 5 or more drinks per drinking day for men.
Secondary: Secondary objectives include assessment of other measures of the effects of oxytocin compared with placebo on reduction of alcohol use as well as effects on psychological assessments, alcohol craving, alcohol-related consequences, cigarette smoking and other nicotine use, retention in the study, safety, and application site (nares) tolerability throughout the study.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Be at least 21 years of age.
- Have a current (past 12 months) DSM-5 diagnosis of AUD (4 or more symptoms) assessed using the MINI neuropsychiatric interview version 7.0.2 (at least moderate severity, ICD-10-CM Code F10.20 alcohol dependence, uncomplicated).
- Have a BAC by breathalyzer equal to 0.000 when s/he signed the informed consent document (either just prior to or immediately after signing consent).
- Be seeking treatment for problems with alcohol reduction in drinking.
- Be able to verbalize an understanding of the consent form, able to provide written informed consent, verbalize willingness to complete study procedures, able to understand written and oral instructions in English and able to complete the questionnaires required by the protocol.
- Agree (if the subject is female and of child bearing potential) to use at least one of the following methods of birth control, unless she is surgically sterile, partner is surgically sterile or she is postmenopausal:
- oral contraceptives,
- contraceptive sponge,
- patch,
- double barrier (diaphragm/spermicidal or condom/spermicidal),
- intrauterine contraceptive system,
- etonogestrel implant,
- medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injection,
- complete abstinence from sexual intercourse, and/or
- hormonal vaginal contraceptive ring.
- Be able to take intranasal investigational products and be willing to adhere to the investigational product regimen.
- Complete all assessments required at screening and baseline.
- Have a place to live in the 2 weeks prior to randomization and not be at risk that s/he will lose his/her housing by Study Week 14.
- Not anticipate any significant problems with transportation arrangements or available time to travel to the study site by Study Week 14.
- Not have any plans to move within Study Week 14 to a location which would make continued participation in the study impractical.
- Not have any unresolved legal problems that could jeopardize continuation or completion of the study.
- Provide contact information of someone, such as a family member, spouse, or significant other, who may be able to contact the subject in case of a missed clinic appointment.
- Be someone who in the opinion of the investigator would be expected to complete the study protocol.
- Agree to the schedule of visits, verbally acknowledge that s/he will be able to attend each scheduled visit, participate in phone visits and that s/he does not have any already scheduled events or a job that may substantially interfere with study participation.
- If taking a medication for depression or anxiety, must have been taking a stable dose in the 2-months prior to randomization and plan to continue during the study. This includes drugs such as the following:
- SSRIs
- Dual uptake inhibitors
- SNRIs
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- MAOIs
- Bupropion
- Not currently taking oxytocin and agree not to take non-study oxytocin for the duration of the study.
Exclusion Criteria
Contact study site for exclusion criteria.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03878316). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.