Could a seizure drug ease nerve pain in spinal cord injury?
NCT ID NCT05639946
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This completed Phase 3 trial tested whether brivaracetam, a drug used for seizures, can reduce chronic nerve pain in people with spinal cord injury. 44 adults with persistent pain took part. The study compared brivaracetam to a placebo and measured changes in pain intensity and daily interference over 7 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- brivaracetam
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new medication option for people with spinal cord injury who suffer from hard-to-treat nerve pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 44 participants. The drug may not reduce pain better than a placebo, and side effects like drowsiness are possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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44 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Finished
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Oct 2024
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age or older * Injured for \> 3 months * Completed inpatient rehabilitation and living in the community * Chronic sublesional neuropathic pain defined as persistent pain (VAS grade 3-10) for three months or more * For people of child-bearing potential: currently practicing an effective form of two types of birth control (defined as those, alone or in combination, that result in a low failure rate (i.e., less than 1% per year) when used consistently and correctly). Exclusion Criteria: * Progressive myelopathy secondary to posttraumatic cord tethering or syringomyelia * Active use of drugs known to interact with brivaracetam: rifampin, carbamazepine, sodium oxybate, buprenorphine, propoxyphene, levetiracetam, and phenytoin. * Brain injury or cognitive impairment limiting the ability to follow directions or provide informed consent * Pregnancy or lactation * Epilepsy or active treatment for seizure disorder * Past or current suicidality * Active treatment for psychiatric disease * Drug addiction * Moderate or heavy alcohol intake (up to four alcoholic drinks for men and three for women in any single day, and a maximum of 14 drinks for men and 7 drinks for women per week) * Hepatic cirrhosis, Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C * Impaired renal function (GFR\<60ml/minute) * Contraindications to brivaracetam or pyrrolidine derivatives including allergy * Active clinically significant disease (e.g., renal, hepatic, neurological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, psychiatric, hematologic, urologic, or other acute or chronic illness) that, in the opinion of the investigator, would make the patient an unsuitable candidate for this trial. * History of malabsorption or other gastrointestinal (GI) disease that may significantly alter the absorption of brivaracetam * Use of any investigational drug 30 days prior to enrollment in this study * Enrollment in another clinical trial.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Scientists map the daily rhythms of chronic pain
- Breathing brief Low-Oxygen bursts may boost sleep apnea treatment
- Pure oxygen tested as a switch for dormant nerves after spinal cord injury
- Spinal stimulation tested to help kids with spinal cord injuries sit taller
- Zapping the spine: a new hope for kids with paralysis?