Could a common diabetes drug help preemies breathe easier?
NCT ID NCT07120971
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase trial is testing whether metformin, a common diabetes drug, is safe for premature infants with or at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease. The study involves 40 babies split into two groups: older infants already diagnosed with BPD and younger ones at high risk. Researchers will monitor for side effects like low blood sugar and feeding issues, and measure how the drug is processed in the body.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- metformin
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a treatment to reduce lung injury and promote lung growth in premature infants.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early safety trial with only 40 infants. It is not designed to prove effectiveness, and metformin may cause side effects like low blood sugar or feeding problems.
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
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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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7 days to 6 months
- 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 Phase 0: * Birth gestational age of \< 29 weeks AND * Postnatal age between 8 and 22 weeks AND * Diagnosed with BPD at 36 weeks postnatal age Inclusion Criteria Phase 1: * Birth gestational age of \< 29 weeks, AND * Requiring mechanical ventilation or positive pressure support at 7 days postnatal age, AND * Postnatal age between 7 and 30 days Exclusion Criteria: * Persistent hypoglycemia * Lactic acidosis * Feeding intolerance * Renal or hepatic dysfunction * Active infection * Congenital anomalies that preclude feedings * Infants whose parents have chosen palliative care
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Children's Wisconsin
RECRUITINGMilwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Cord blood transfusions could be safer for preterm babies
- Tiny viruses, big impact? study links early gut & lung viruses to preterm lung disease