KHENERFIN Study: A Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Sonlicromanol in Primary Mitochondrial Diseases
A Phase III, Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group, Pivotal Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Sonlicromanol in Adult Subjects With a Genetically Confirmed Mitochondrial DNA tRNALeu(UUR) m.3243A>G Variant
Who can join
As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.
- Age
- 18 Years and older
- Sex
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Compensation
- Not stated
Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.
What to expect
No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.
What participation involves
- Procedures mentioned: Pills
Only what the study's summary and detailed description on ClinicalTrials.gov say. Time periods may describe the whole study or a part of it — ask the study team what applies to you.
Show the study's own words
- "Sonlicromanol will be supplied in tablet form, containing 90 mg of sonlicromanol (equivalent to 100 mg of sonlicromanol.HCl), with the tablets embossed accordingly or provided as a placebo."
- Compensation
- Not stated
- Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
- Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
- Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
- Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.
About this study
In plain language
This study tests whether sonlicromanol can ease tiredness and improve balance and leg strength in adults with a specific type of mitochondrial disease, which affects how cells make energy. Participants take sonlicromanol or a placebo, a look-alike pill with no active drug, twice a day for 52 weeks. The study also checks safety.
The KHENERFIN study aims to determine whether the study medicine, sonlicromanol, is able to reduce symptoms of fatigue and the impact of fatigue on daily life, and whether sonlicromanol is able to improve physical abilities of people like balance control and lower limb skeletal muscle strength in people with mitochondrial disease. In this study, the effects of sonlicromanol are compared against a placebo, a tablet identical in appearance and taste but without the active drug. Participants take either sonlicromanol or placebo twice daily for a treatment duration of 52 weeks. In addition to these primary objectives, the study evaluates the efficacy of sonlicromanol on secondary and exploratory outcomes, as well as its safety and tolerability after one year of treatment.
Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.
Eligibility
Who can join
- Sign a form agreeing to join the study.
- Be age 18 or older and have primary mitochondrial disease that affects more than one body system.
- Have the confirmed m.3243A>G gene change in mitochondrial DNA. At least 20% of the tested mitochondrial DNA must have this change, with an age adjustment for blood tests.
- Have tiredness caused by mitochondrial disease for at least 3 months, recorded in your medical files.
- Score above 22 on the study’s tiredness questionnaire at screening.
- Have muscle problems from mitochondrial disease. Take at least 11 seconds to stand up from a chair 5 times at screening and the starting visit, and finish within 30 seconds at the starting visit.
- Meet other study rules.
Who can't join
- Use another study drug within 3 months before screening, or longer if that drug stays in the body longer, or plan to use one during this study.
- Have bone shape problems, movement problems, or long-lasting open sores that could affect the chair-standing test.
- Have digestive tract surgery or severe digestive problems that could keep your body from taking in the study drug.
- Have serious lung or heart disease, as judged by the study doctor.
- Have certain heart procedures within 3 months, a heart attack within 6 months, or a procedure to open or bypass heart arteries within 12 months before screening.
- Have certain heart structure problems, weak heart pumping, thick heart walls, poor blood flow to the heart, or heart failure. Recent sudden heart failure also rules out joining.
- Have certain abnormal heart rhythms or electrical signals, or a family history of unexplained fainting, inherited heart timing problems, or sudden death before age 60.
- Meet any other study rule that prevents joining.
Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.
Official eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria 1. Signed Informed Consent 2. Males and females aged ≥18 years with a multi-system primary mitochondrial disease. 3. A confirmed mitochondrial DNA tRNALeu(UUR) m.3243A\>G mutation (m.3243A\>G PMD) plus an age adjusted heteroplasmy percentage ≥ 20% in white blood cells \[=blood heteroplasmy/0.977(age+12)\]. Or in urine (urinary epithelial cells), or buccal smear or skeletal muscle (results (obtained per local guidance) ≥ 20% must be available prior to the subject being randomized). 4. Presence of chronic fatigue (not attributable to other etiologies than PMD): 1. Patient self-reported chronic fatigue for at least 3 months prior to the Screening Visit and recorded in the clinical patient files; AND 2. Presence of fatigue (raw total score \>22), assessed by Neuro-QoL SFv1-F at Screening. 5. Presence of mitochondrial myopathy defined as: 5xSST at Screening and Baseline should be ≥ 11 seconds and participant must demonstrate the ability to complete the test at baseline (i.e., complete the test within 30 seconds). 6\. Other Inclusion criteria per protocol. Exclusion criteria 1. Treatment with any IMP within 3 months (or 5 times the half-life of the IMP, whichever is longer) prior to screening or plans to use an IMP (other than the study intervention) during the study. 2. Bone deformities, motor abnormalities or chronic ulcers that in the opinion of the PI may interfere with and/or confound the interpretation of the subject's performance during the 5 times sit to stand test (5XSST). 3. Surgery of gastrointestinal tract that might interfere with drug absorption. Or severe GI dysmotility, chronic vomiting, diarrhea, bouts of pseudo-obstruction which will impair appropriate IMP absorption in the opinion of the investigator. 4. Clinically significant respiratory disease and/or cardiac disease (medical history or current clinical findings) in the opinion of the investigator. 5. Prior interventional cardiac procedure (e.g., cardiac catheterization, angioplasty/percutaneous coronary intervention, balloon valvuloplasty, etc.) within 3 months prior to screening. 6. Structural heart disease based on cardiac MRI or Echocardiography (e.g., clinically significant valve disease; i.e., aortic or mitral valve stenosis or regurgitation) and / or Left ventricular dysfunction (LVEF \<52% in men and \< 54% in women) and / or congestive cardiac failure (more severe than grade II) and / or Maximum left-ventricular septal or posterior wall thickness \> 15 mm and / or Evidence of active myocardial ischaemia, ECG evidence and / or recent history of myocardial infarction (\< 6-months) and / or coronary angioplasty / coronary bypass surgery (\< 12 months). 7. Family history of unexplained/uninvestigated syncope or congenital long and short QT syndrome or sudden death (under the age of 60) and / or Abnormal QTcF interval \[QTcF \> 450 msec (men) or QTcF \> 470 msec (women) = abnormally long QTcF or QTcF \< QT \< 320ms = abnormally short QtcF\] and / or Intermittent or persistent WPW (pre-excitation) syndrome on ECG \[ie: abnormally wide QRS \> 120ms with slurred up-stroke ('delta' wave) and PR-interval \< 120ms\] and / or ECG evidence of atrial fibrillation (permanent, persistent or paroxysmal) and / or High grade AV Block \[2nd-degree AV block Type II (ie: 2:1) or complete AV block (3rd degree) or intermittent conduction system abnormalities with the exception of any of the following: * 1st degree atrioventricular (AV)-block * 2nd degree AV-block Type 1 (Mobitz Type 1 / Wenckebach type) * Right bundle branch block. 8. History of acute heart failure (within the last 3 months). 9. Higher degree of AV-blocks (AVB II° or III°). 10. Other exclusion criteria per protocol
Study sites (3)
MA
- Massachusetts General Hospital · Boston, MA 02114Erica Kelly · Study contact · 617-724-7726 · elkelly@mgh.harvard.eduAmel Karaa, Dr. · Principal investigatorMore trials in Boston
OH
- Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute Mellen Center · Cleveland, OH 44195Jamie Jobson · Study contact · jobsonj@ccf.orgSumit Parikh, Dr. · Principal investigatorMore trials in Cleveland
TX
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston · Houston, TX 77030Lindsey Miller · Study contact · 713-500-7143 · lindsey.b.miller@uth.tmc.eduAntoinette Bernal Tent · Study contact · (713) 500-6991 · antoinette.w.bernaltent@uth.tmc.eduMary Koenig, Dr. · Principal investigatorSam Nicholas Russo, Dr. · Sub-investigatorMore trials in Houston