Recruiting
Phase 1
Phase 2

Dronabinol

Sponsor:

VA Office of Research and Development

Code:

NCT06477952

Conditions

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 0 - 65

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Dronabinol

Study Details

Brief summary:

This is an open-label trial that tests the effectiveness of Dronabinol in treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). All participants will take oral Dronabinol for two weeks. Sleep studies will be conducted before and after treatment to measure OSA severity.

Conditions

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Study ID

NCT06477952

Start date

Aug 25, 2025

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 0 - 65

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1\. AHI 15-50 per hour on pre-treatment polysomnography

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) treatment of OSA: use > 4 hours per day for 30% of days within 3 months of enrollment. PAP use will be determined from device download data
2. Hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HNS) or oral appliance device treatment with use > 4 hours per day for 30% of days within 3 months of enrollment. HNS use will be determined by device download and oral appliance use by self-report
3. History of upper airway surgery for OSA (except adenotonsillectomy)
4. Central or mixed apneas >25% of respiratory events on diagnostic polysomnography
5. Arterial oxygen saturation < 75% for > 5% sleep time on pretreatment polysomnography
6. Body mass index > 45 kg/m2
7. If post-bariatric surgery, weight must be stable ±5% (per electronic medical records) for at least 6 months before the first dose of the study drug
8. Active enrollment in a weight loss program
9. Shiftwork within 3 months of enrollment
10. High-risk occupation: commercial driver and pilot
11. Motor vehicle accident or near-miss incident within 1 year of enrollment
12. Current drug or habitual alcohol use or positive urine drug screen
13. Comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders:

1. Primary sleep disorders: e.g., narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome
2. Uncontrolled mood disorder or a diagnosis of schizophrenia
3. Initiation of new antidepressant or antipsychotic medication within 3 months
4. Identified as high-risk for suicide in electronic health records
5. Uncontrolled medical disorders (coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic hypoxemic or hypercapnic respiratory failure, stroke within 6 months of enrollment, chronic liver or kidney disease, autoimmune disorders)
14. Use of sedative-hypnotic medications within 30 days of enrollment
15. Complete blood count or liver function test values more than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal
16. Pregnancy
17. Allergy to cannabinoids or sesame oil
18. Average weekly alcohol consumption of more than 10 servings
19. Participation in other investigational protocols within 30 days of enrollment

Study Design

Enrollment

120 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Single group

Open label Dronabinol treatment for two weeks.

Interventions

Dronabinol

Open label Dronabinol treatment for two weeks.

Primary outcome measure

  • Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) [ Time Frame: 2 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Recruiting

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Bharati Prasad, MD

More Information

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Last update posted

Aug 11, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • OSA
  • sleep apnea
  • pharmacological treatment
  • Drug treatment

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by VA Office of Research and Development on 2026-08-11.