Heart drug could cramp ALS pain: new trial launches
NCT ID NCT06527222
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests if ranolazine, a heart medication, can safely reduce muscle cramps and improve quality of life in people with ALS. About 72 adults with ALS who have frequent cramps will receive either the drug or a placebo for 28 weeks. The main goals are to check safety and see if cramps become less frequent or severe.
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
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 72 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
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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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 or older * Diagnosed with clinically definite, possible, probably, or lab-supported probable ALS per revised El Escorial criteria * Breathing assessment called forced vital capacity (FVC) greater than or equal to 50%. * Able to swallow pills at the start of the study and expected to for the length of the study. * If on ALS modifying medications must be on a stable dose at least 30 days. * Experiencing 4 or more cramps per week during a 2-week screening period. Exclusion Criteria: * Disease duration \< 5 years * Tracheostomy invasive ventilation, or noninvasive ventilation of more than 12 hours/day * Pregnant or lactating, adults unable to consent, and prisoners * Taking ranolazine or investigational drug or has received an investigational drug within 30 days (or 5 half-lives for drugs, whichever is longer) prior to screening * Medically uncontrolled comorbidities (heart, liver, kidney disease) * Baseline QTc interval prolongation \>450 ms for men/ \>470 ms for women, history of long QT syndrome, or medications which prolong the QT interval * Participation in an experimental drug trial less than 30 days before screening * Patients have to be on a stable dosage of any medications used to treat muscle cramps for ≥30 days or have been off these medications ≥30 days prior to randomization.
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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 study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
6 sites. 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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Locations
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Mayo Clinic Florida
RECRUITINGJacksonville, Florida, 32224, United States
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The Ohio State University
RECRUITINGColumbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
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University of California, San Francisco
RECRUITINGSan Francisco, California, 94143, United States
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University of Kansas Medical Center
RECRUITINGFairway, Kansas, 66205, United States
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University of Kansas Medical Center: Wichita
RECRUITINGWichita, Kansas, 67214, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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University of Missouri Health Care
RECRUITINGColumbia, Missouri, 65212, United States
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