Could a common ED drug and cycling help kids with duchenne?
NCT ID NCT06290713
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a drug called tadalafil (often used for erectile dysfunction) combined with a home cycling program can help boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The drug aims to improve blood flow to muscles, which is often poor in DMD, while exercise builds strength and endurance. About 50 ambulatory boys aged 6 and older will take either tadalafil or a placebo daily for 6 months and do weekly cycling sessions. The goal is to see if this combo can improve muscle function and fatigue resistance.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Tadalafil (a drug that widens blood vessels) and a home-based cycling exercise program
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new way to improve muscle function and slow disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy by combining a common blood-flow drug with exercise.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drug and exercise may not improve muscle function as hoped, and there are risks like side effects from tadalafil or injury from exercise.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2024
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
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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6 years and older
- Sex
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Male participants only
- 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: * Diagnosis of DMD confirmed by genetic report * Minimum entry age of 6.0 years old * Ambulatory * On stable glucocorticoid regimen (for \> 3 months) Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to a Magnetic resonance Imaging examination (e.g. severe claustrophobia, magnetic implants, unable/unwilling to perform test) * Presence of unstable medical problems, including severe cardiomyopathy, left ventricular ejection fraction \<45%, cardiac conduction abnormalities as evidenced on ECG, uncontrolled seizure disorder, uncontrolled hypo or hypertension * Presence of a secondary condition that impacts muscle function or muscle metabolism (e.g., myasthenia gravis, endocrine disorder, mitochondrial disease) * Presence of a secondary condition leading to developmental delay or impaired motor control (e.g., cerebral palsy) or previous history of unprovoked rhabdomyolysis * Contraindications to phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (use of nitrates, alpha-adrenergic blockers, other phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors) or other medications known to modulate blood flow or muscle metabolism * Participation in currently approved FDA trials or other investigational clinical trials during the period of the study
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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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University of Florida Clinical and Translational Research Building
RECRUITINGGainesville, Florida, 32603, United States
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