PILOT-STUDY OF A CCKB ANTAGONIST IN PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER - PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

L-365,260 is a CCKB antagonist which has been shown to contpletely pre vent CCK-4-induced symptoms of panic attack in single-dose (50 mg) pla cebo-controlled studies in patients with panic disorder. The present r eport is data from one site (n = 38) in a multicenter study (n = 88) d esigned to assess the preliminary efficacy and safety of L-365,260 in patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. In order to participate, male and female patients were b etween 18-55 years of age and in good physical health. Following a one -week single-blind placebo lead-in, patients were randomized to 30 mg four times daily of L-365,260 (n = 18; 7 M, 11 F) or placebo (n = 20; 9 M, 11 F) for six weeks. At end of study, none of the efficacy measur es, including the frequency of panic attacks, the Physician's Global I mprovement Scale, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, were sign ificantly improved over baseline values. L-365,260 was well-tolerated; the most common drug-related adverse events were headache and lighthe adedness. Further testing of L-365,260 at higher dosages, or testing o f other CCKB antagonists, is required to rule out the usefulness of th is novel treatment approach. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.