Dementia agitation drug trial halted after just 5 patients

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Individuals diagnosed with any form of dementia (i.e., probable Alzheimer's Disease; vascular dementia; mixed; frontotemporal dementia) 2. Subjects who have met DSM-5 criteria for dementia (major neurocognitive disorder) who have instances of acute psychomotor agitation. 3. History of psychomotor agitation (e.g., kick, bite, flailing) to the point that it impairs social activities, requires staffing, or medical intervention, or impairs ability for functional activities of daily living. 4. Subjects are expected to exhibit behaviors that are congruent with the International Psychogeriatric Association criterion for agitation representing a change from the subject's usual behavior. 5. Subjects who have a score of ≤16 on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). 6. Subjects with a remote (\>5 years) history of stroke may be included, regardless of size/location. 7. Subjects who read, understand, and provide written informed consent, or who have a legally authorized representative (LAR). 8. Subjects who are deemed to be medically appropriate for study participation by the principal investigator. 9. Subjects who are at their current location for at least 14 days before screening and plan to remain at the same location for the duration of the study. 10. Subjects who have the capability to participate in the study and self-administer the investigational product. 11. Subjects who are on a stable concomitant medications regimen for the treatment of any concurrent conditions for at least one month prior to the screening visit. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects who have dementia associated with Parkinson's disease and/or Lewy Body Disease are excluded. 2. Subjects suffering from alcohol and/or substance abuse. 3. Subjects with agitation caused by acute intoxication must be excluded. 4. Subjects with significant risk of suicide or homicide per the investigator's assessment. 5. Subjects who have hydrocephalus, seizure disorder, or history of significant head trauma, subarachnoid bleeding, brain tumor, encephalopathy, meningitis, or focal neurological findings, with a recent (1 year) large (non-microvascular) stroke who may be considered medically unstable or in recovery must be excluded. 6. History of clinically significant syncope or syncopal attacks, orthostatic hypotension within the past 2 years. 7. Subjects with laboratory or ECG abnormalities. 8. Subjects with serious, unstable, or uncontrolled medical illnesses must be excluded. 9. Subjects who have received an investigational drug within 30 days prior to Screening must be excluded. 10. Subjects who are considered by the investigator, for any reason, to be an unsuitable candidate for receiving dexmedetomidine must be excluded. 11. Subjects whose agitation is attributed to pain or infection, delirium, concomitant medications, environmental conditions, or another psychiatric condition or medical condition as determined by the investigator.