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| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCT06780215 | Registry Identifier | ClinicalTrials.gov |
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This is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial designed to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of varenicline tartrate in patients with frequent PVCs complicated by myocardial infarction (MI). The protocol was approved by the institutional review board and ethics committee at each participating center.
Primary Efficacy Endpoint:
1) The percentage change from baseline in the 24-hour mean count of PVCs at Week 6.
Secondary Efficacy Endpoints:
Pre-specified Safety Endpoints:
Primary Endpoint: The cumulative incidence of the first occurrence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias (time-to-first event), including sustained ventricular tachycardia (SVT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), or ventricular flutter (VFL), from randomization through Weeks 4, 6, and 8.
Study Population:
A total of 116 participants, aged 18-80 years, with frequent PVCs wil be enrolled. Prior to enrollment, participants must have stable cardiac conditions and must have received standard treatment for acute or chronic coronary syndrome as recommended by the relevant guidelines, including sustained-release metoprolol succinate. Following preliminary screening, participants will undergo 72-hour continuous three-lead AECG monitoring (baseline data) to assess the baseline PVC frequency. Eligibility for inclusion will be determined based on the monitoring data. Eligible participants will then be randomized in a 1:1 ratio (Day 0) to either the treatment group (varenicline tartrate tablets) or the placebo group.
Treatment Protocol:
All participants will receive sustained-release metoprolol succinate as part of the standard treatment, in accordance with clinical guidelines. The dose will remain stable throughout the study, unless adjustments are required for patient safety. Other standard treatments recommended by the guidelines, aside from sustained-release metoprolol succinate, will be optimized according to the clinical guidelines throughout the study.
Randomization and Stratification:
A total of 116 participants will be enrolled and randomized to either the treatment or placebo group, with 58 participants in each group. Stratification will be based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50% vs. LVEF < 50%).
Treatment Regimen:
Treatment Group (Varenicline Tartrate 0.5 mg/tablet): Participants will receive the following regimen:
Days 1-3: 0.5 mg once daily. Days 4-42: 0.5 mg twice daily, taken at the same times each day (recommended interval 12 hours ± 2 hours).
Days 43-45: 0.5 mg once daily.
Placebo Group: Participants will receive placebo tablets according to the same regimen as the treatment group:
Days 1-3: 1 tablet once daily. Days 4-42: 1 tablet twice daily, taken at the same times each day (recommended interval 12 hours ± 2 hours).
Days 43-45: 1 tablet once daily. Statistical Analysis General Principles
Efficacy Analysis
1) Primary endpoint: The between-group difference will be assessed by estimating the mean difference in the percentage reduction from baseline in the 24-hour mean PVC count at Week 6, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Secondary endpoints: Two key secondary efficacy end points will be formally tested using a fixed-sequence (hierarchical) procedure.
Key Secondary End Point 1: The responder rate for PVCs at Week 6. Key Secondary End Point 2: The incidence of NSVT at Week 6. All other secondary efficacy endpoints will be summarized descriptively. Safety Analysis The cumulative incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias will be estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, with differences between groups compared using the Cox proportional hazards model (reporting the hazard ratio [HR] and 95% CI). If no events occur in either group or if the number of events is too low, only the number of events and their percentages will be reported.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control Group | Placebo Comparator | Participants receive placebo tablets according to the treatment group design. |
|
| Treatment Group | Experimental | Participants take varenicline tartrate tablets according to the regimen |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varenicline Tartrate Tablets | Drug | Participants in treatment group take varenicline tartrate tablets according to the following regimen: Days 1-3: 0.5 mg/dose, once daily. Days 4-42: 0.5 mg/dose, twice daily, taken orally at the same time each morning and evening (the dosing interval is recommended to be 12 h ± 2 h). Days 43-45: 0.5 mg/dose, once daily. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage reduction in the average 24-hour count of premature ventricular contractions | Week 6 |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| The responder rate for premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) . | PVC responder: A participant is considered a responder if there is a ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in the 24-hour mean PVC count following treatment with either varenicline or placebo. | At Weeks 4, 6, and 8. |
| The incidence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Safety End Points: The cumulative incidence of the first occurrence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias (time-to-first event) , including sustained ventricular tachycardia (SVT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), or ventricular flutter (VFL). | The malignant ventricular arrhythmia events will be adjudicated by the Central Adjudication Committee (CEC) based on planned 72-hour continuous ambulatory electrocardiography (AECG) monitoring and unplanned clinical evidence, including emergency or inpatient 12-lead ECG, bedside monitoring or telemetry ECG, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) records, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) records, using a standardized approach. An event will be counted if any of these criteria are met; each participant will be counted for a maximum of one event. The event time will be taken as the earliest verifiable evidence. The analysis will be based on the risk set starting from randomization. |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai East Hospital | Shanghai | Shanghai Municipality | 200120 | China |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41778949 | Derived | Shen Y, Guo X, Zeng C, Wang DW, Han W, Cheng X, Hu X, Xie D, Liu Y, Liang D, Duan R, Yang B, Zhang Q, Li H, Zhang B, Sun G, Ouyang N, Guo X, Zhang S, Zhou B, Zheng L, Liu S, Xiong K, Wang G, Zou Q, Shao B, Chen Z, Wang K, Wang X, Han F, Wu Y, Li Z, Sun Y, Chen YH. Varenicline and Ventricular Ectopy After Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Phase 2 Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026 Feb 25:S0735-1097(26)00233-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2025.12.090. Online ahead of print. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D018879 | Ventricular Premature Complexes |
| D009203 | Myocardial Infarction |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D005117 | Cardiac Complexes, Premature |
| D001145 | Arrhythmias, Cardiac |
| D006331 | Heart Diseases |
| D002318 | Cardiovascular Diseases |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000068580 | Varenicline |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001552 | Benzazepines |
| D006574 | Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring |
| D000072471 | Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring |
| D006571 | Heterocyclic Compounds |
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This is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group,placebo-controlled superiority trial.
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| Placebo | Drug | Days 1-3: 1 tablet/dose, once daily. Days 4-42: 1 tablet/dose, twice daily, taken orally at the same time each morning and evening (the dosing interval is recommended to be 12 h ± 2 h). Days 43-45: 1 tablet/dose, once daily. |
|
If the 72-hour ECG monitoring shows a non-zero value for the number of NSVT episodes, it will be considered as "occurrence." If the number is zero, it will be considered as "non-occurrence." The incidence of NSVT at Weeks 4, 6, and 8 will be calculated by dividing the number of participants with NSVT episodes recorded by the 72-hour AECG monitoring by the total number of participants in each group, and then multiplying by 100%. |
| At Weeks 4, 6, and 8. |
| Changes from baseline in the average 24-hour count and burden of premature ventricular contractions | Weeks 4, 6, and 8 |
| Changes from baseline in the average 24-hour number of episodes and burden of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia | Weeks 4, 6, and 8 |
| Change from baseline in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) score | The KCCQ score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better outcomes. | Week 6 |
| From randomization through Weeks 4, 6, and 8. |
| D000075224 | Cardiac Conduction System Disease |
| D010335 | Pathologic Processes |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |
| D017202 | Myocardial Ischemia |
| D014652 | Vascular Diseases |
| D007238 | Infarction |
| D007511 | Ischemia |
| D009336 | Necrosis |
| D011810 | Quinoxalines |