A study of delayed-release placebo tablets

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A pilot scintigraphic clinical study to investigate the delayed release behaviour of novel placebo tablets in healthy volunteers

  • IRAS ID

    159720

  • Contact name

    Howard Stevens

  • Contact email

    Howard.Stevens@bddpharma.com

  • Sponsor organisation

    Bio-Images Ltd

  • Research summary

    Standard tablets release drug into the body immediately or slowly over a longer time period. In this study, we want to investigate a new way of delivering a drug using a tablet which is taken at night and is designed to release the drug at a set time point several hours after administration (delayed-release). This technology could be used to treat diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease which are worse in the early morning.

    Up to eight tablets will be tested in the study. These tablets do not contain any drug i.e. they are placebo. The tablets, designed by Drug Delivery International (DDi), are round, flat-faced and white in colour. They will all look the same, but may differ slightly in thickness.

    We will be looking at:
    • The behaviour of the tablets (when, where and how quickly they break up)
    • The gastric emptying time of the tablets (when they leave the stomach)
    • The gastrointestinal transit of the tablets (how long they take to travel through the gut)

    To look at these parameters, we will add small amounts of radioactive material to the tablets. The radiation emitted will be detected outside the body by a device known as a gamma camera.

  • REC name

    West of Scotland REC 4

  • REC reference

    14/WS/1034

  • Date of REC Opinion

    10 Jul 2014

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion