Botulinum injection trial for arm spasticity halted early
NCT ID NCT04815967
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether injections of MYOBLOC (botulinum toxin type B) can safely reduce muscle tightness in the arm and hand of adults with spasticity caused by stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, or other conditions. The trial planned to enroll about 300 participants but was terminated early after only 32 people joined. Researchers measured changes in muscle tone and overall function four weeks after a single injection.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MYOBLOC (rimabotulinumtoxinB, botulinum toxin type B)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a treatment option to reduce muscle stiffness and improve arm function in people with spasticity from stroke, brain injury, or multiple sclerosis.
- What could go wrong
- The trial was terminated early with only 32 participants, so results are limited. Botulinum toxin injections can cause muscle weakness, pain, or allergic reactions, and effects are temporary.
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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Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
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32 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2021
- Finished
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Apr 2023
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
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 to 80 years
- 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: 1. Able to understand the potential risks and benefits, the study requirements, and provide written informed consent before enrollment into the study; or if unable, the subject's Legally Authorized Representative (LAR) may provide written informed consent. 2. Male or female ≥18 to maximum of 80 years of age, inclusive. 3. Upper limb spasticity due to stroke, or traumatic brain injury, or spinal cord injury that occurred ≥ 6 months prior to randomization. Eligible subjects may have upper limb monoplegia or hemiplegia. Subjects with cerebral palsy are eligible for study enrollment. 4. Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) scores of ≥2 in at least two muscle groups inclusive of the elbow, wrist, and finger flexors at screening and baseline. 5. In the Investigator's opinion, the subject will be available and able to comply with the study requirements for at least 1 year, based on the subject's overall health and disease prognosis. 6. In the Investigator's opinion, the subject will be willing and able to comply with all requirements of the protocol, including completion of study questionnaires. A caregiver may be designated to assist with the physical completion of questionnaires/scales. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Quadriplegia/tetraplegia, or triplegia with both upper limbs affected. 2. Uncontrolled epilepsy or any type of seizure disorder with a seizure(s) within the previous year. 3. Neuromuscular disorders including, but not limited to, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), multiple sclerosis (MS), myasthenia gravis, or muscular dystrophy. 4. History of major joint contracture(s), in which, based on the Investigator's assessment, the contracture(s) significantly contributes to joint immobility in the affected upper limb. 5. Unresolved fracture(s) in the affected upper limb. 6. Severe atrophy in the affected upper limb. 7. Known hypersensitivity to botulinum toxins type A or B or to any MYOBLOC solution components. 8. Concomitant use or exposure within 5 half-lives of randomization of the following: aminoglycoside antibiotics, curare-like agents, or other agents that may interfere with neuromuscular function. 9. Treatment with a neurolytic agent (e.g., phenol, alcohol blocks) to the affected upper limb within 1 year before randomization. 10. Presence of a spinal stimulator or intrathecal baclofen pump that has not been turned off within 30 days prior to screening. 11. Changes to treatment regimen or any new treatment with oral antispasmodics and/or muscle relaxants within 30 days prior to randomization. 12. Initiation of physical and/or occupational therapy \<30 days before randomization. Subjects receiving physical and/or occupational therapy ≥30 days before randomization must be willing to maintain their therapy regimen through Week 4 of the Double-Blind Period. 13. Prior botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) or B (BoNT/B) treatment in the affected upper limb within 24 weeks before screening. Prior BoNT/A or BoNT/B treatment in areas other than the affected upper limb is not exclusionary but must have occurred at least 12 weeks before screening. Prior toxin exposure must have been well tolerated and without any significant long-term side effects in the case of repeated prior exposure. 14. Subjects should not receive nor have any plans to receive any botulinum toxin treatment, other than the study drug (MYOBLOC), from the time that informed consent is obtained until participation in the study is complete. 15. Severe dysphagia (i.e., inability to swallow liquids, solids or both without choking or medical intervention), or dysphagia with a history of aspiration pneumonia, within 6 months before screening. 16. Prior surgery to treat spasticity in the affected upper limb (i.e., tendon lengthening or tendon transfer). 17. Any anticipated or scheduled surgery during the study period, with the exception of dermatological procedures performed under local anesthesia for the purposes of removing precancerous and cancerous lesions. 18. Major surgery within 30 days before screening. 19. Pregnancy or breastfeeding. 20. Females of childbearing potential must agree to practice a medically acceptable method of contraception (e.g., intrauterine device, hormonal contraception started at least one full cycle before study enrollment, or barrier method in conjunction with spermicide) for the duration of the study (including 2 months after study completion). For the purposes of this study, all females are considered to be of childbearing potential unless they are confirmed by the Investigator to be post-menopausal (at least 1 year since last menses and laboratory test confirmation), biologically sterile, or surgically sterile (e.g., hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy, tubal ligation). 21. History of drug or alcohol abuse within 6 months before screening. 22. Obstructive pulmonary disease with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) \<70%. 23. Slow vital capacity (SVC) \<60% of predicted. 24. Chronic or current use of inhaled corticosteroids. 25. Ventilator dependence (i.e., 24-hour ventilator dependence when intubated, or due to a failure to wean the subject from the ventilator while hospitalized in the intensive care unit or respiratory care center). Subjects who use oxygen on an as-needed basis or during sleeping hours only via a nasal cannula are eligible for the study. 26. Infection at the planned sites of injection. 27. Treatment with an investigational drug, device, or biological agent within 30 days before screening or while participating in this study. 28. Malignancy diagnosed 3 months before screening. 29. Has one or more screening clinical laboratory test values outside the reference range that, in the opinion of the Investigator, are clinically significant, or any of the following : * Serum creatinine \>1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN); * Serum total bilirubin \> 1.5 times ULN; * Serum alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase \>2 times ULN. 30. Has any of the following cardiac findings at screening: * Abnormal ECG that is, in the Investigator's opinion/evaluation, clinically significant; * PR interval \>220 ms; * QRS interval \>130 ms; * QTcF interval \>450 ms (for men), or \>470 ms (for women) (QT corrected using Fridericia's method); * Second-or third-degree atrioventricular block; * Any rhythm, other than sinus rhythm, that is interpreted or assessed by the Investigator to be clinically significant. 31. Any other medical illness, condition, or clinical finding that, in the opinion of the Investigator and/or the Sponsor, would put the subject at undue risk.
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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
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Centrum Medyczne Linden
Krakow, 31-721, Poland
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Coastal Neurology
Port Royal, South Carolina, 29935, United States
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Idaho Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Boise, Idaho, 83706, United States
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National Institute of Medical Rehabilitation
Budapest, H-1121, Hungary
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Niepubliczny Zaklad Opieki Zdrowotnej (NZOZ) Neuromed
Lubin, 20-604, Poland
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Rancho Research Institute
Downey, California, 90242, United States
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Specjalistyczna Praktyka Lekarska
Katowice, 40-097, Poland
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Specjalistyczne Gabinety Sp. zo.o
Krakow, 30-539, Poland
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University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States
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