Safety and Effectiveness of Valbenazine as Adjunct Therapy to Botulinum Toxin Injections in Cervical Dystonia

Description

The most common form of idiopathic dystonia is adult-onset cervical dystonia (CD), a focal form of dystonia affecting the muscles of the neck. CD is often associated with pain and limited range of motion, and frequently leads to reduced quality of life and disability. Effective long-term treatment options are extremely limited. Recurring botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections can ease the symptoms of CD, but they frequently provide only partial relief and can be associated with intolerable side effects. Deep brain stimulation can be used to treat more severe cases of CD, but this neurosurgical procedure is invasive, on average only about 50% effective and may lead to serious adverse effects. Novel treatment approaches for CD are desperately needed to alleviate symptoms and improve the quality of life for the many who suffer from this chronic and disabling neurological disorder.

Conditions

Cervical Dystonia

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The most common form of idiopathic dystonia is adult-onset cervical dystonia (CD), a focal form of dystonia affecting the muscles of the neck. CD is often associated with pain and limited range of motion, and frequently leads to reduced quality of life and disability. Effective long-term treatment options are extremely limited. Recurring botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections can ease the symptoms of CD, but they frequently provide only partial relief and can be associated with intolerable side effects. Deep brain stimulation can be used to treat more severe cases of CD, but this neurosurgical procedure is invasive, on average only about 50% effective and may lead to serious adverse effects. Novel treatment approaches for CD are desperately needed to alleviate symptoms and improve the quality of life for the many who suffer from this chronic and disabling neurological disorder.

Safety and Effectiveness of Valbenazine as Adjunct Therapy to Botulinum Toxin Injections in Cervical Dystonia

Safety and Effectiveness of Valbenazine as Adjunct Therapy to Botulinum Toxin Injections in Cervical Dystonia

Condition
Cervical Dystonia
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Richmond

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23298

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Idiopathic CD (neck musculature first and most prominently affected)
  • * 18-75 years old (participants excluded if their dystonia symptoms began before age 18 as childhood-onset dystonia typically represents a genetic and/or primary generalized form of dystonia)
  • * Onset of dystonia ≥18 years old, no known hyperkinetic movement disorder-related genetic mutation
  • * Dystonia severity more than minimal and not very severe as defined by Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale-2 Motor Severity (TWSTRS-2-Severity) score ≥ 5 and ≤ 20.
  • * Stable on botulinum toxin injections last 90 days (BoNT dose change \<10% and patient reported stability of response over last two injection cycles)
  • * Stable on other neuroactive medications.
  • * History of deep brain stimulation
  • * History of uncontrolled or untreated depression in the prior 3 months, suicidality, or history of suicide attempts
  • * History of uncontrolled liver disease or failure
  • * History of tardive dyskinesia or tardive dystonia
  • * Currently taking dopaminergic and/or anti-dopaminergic medications including VMAT2 inhibitors or other antipsychotic medications
  • * Exposure to dopaminergic and/or anti-dopaminergic medications including VMAT2 inhibitors or other antipsychotic medications in the last 30 days -Presence of parkinsonism or other movement disorder other than dystonia on exam -Receiving botulinum toxin injections at a planned frequency other than every 3 months or typically receive injections at intervals \<11 weeks or \>13 weeks -Known history of long QT syndrome or cardiac tachyarrhythmia or any clinically significant cardiac abnormality.
  • * Prolonged QTc as defined by \> 450 msec for men and \> 470 msec for women

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Virginia Commonwealth University,

Brian Berman, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Virginia Commonwealth University

Study Record Dates

2026-01