Could a diabetes drug help keep cocaine users clean?
NCT ID NCT04843046
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether pioglitazone, a drug used for diabetes, can help people who recently stopped using cocaine stay off the drug when combined with talk therapy. 61 adults with cocaine use disorder took part. The goal was to see if the drug improves brain health and reduces cravings and relapse.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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61 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2021
- Finished
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Oct 2025
- 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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18 to 65 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: * 18 to 65 years old * meet DSM 5 diagnostic criteria for cocaine use disorder * report recent cocaine use, verified by at least one positive urine drug screen for the cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine, during intake * be judged by the medical staff to be psychiatrically stable and physically healthy * for females, be using an effective form of birth control (e.g., barrier, IUD, or sterilization) and not be pregnant as determined by a serum pregnancy test at screening and negative urine pregnancy test at intake prior to first dose of investigational drug (test will be repeated weekly to ensure that female patients do not continue in the study if pregnant) or lactating * be willing to be admitted to a 5-day inpatient detoxification program at The Right Step Houston * be able to understand the consent form and provide written informed consent * be able to provide the names of at least 2 persons who can consistently locate their whereabouts Exclusion Criteria: * have an acute medical or psychiatric disorder that would, in the judgment of the study physician, make participation difficult or unsafe * have suicidal or homicidal ideation that requires immediate attention * have another current (≥ moderate) substance use disorder aside from alcohol, nicotine, or marijuana * have a medical condition contraindicating PIO pharmacotherapy (e.g., drug- or insulin-dependent diabetes, congestive heart failure, edema, clinical significant liver disease, hypoglycemia, history of bladder cancer) or be taking medications that would adversely interact with PIO (e.g., CYP2C8 inhibitors or inducers, antihyperglycemic medications) * be concurrently enrolled in other addiction treatment services aside from smoking cessation * if female, be currently pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning on conception * have conditions of probation or parole requiring reports of drug use to officers of the court * be unable to read, write, or speak English * be homeless (live on the street) * have medical contraindications to MRI/DTI scans (e.g., history of pacemaker, metal implants, or welding/metal work without protective eyewear)
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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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UTHealth Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction
Houston, Texas, 77054, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Brain scans reveal how stress fuels cocaine relapse
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