Recruiting
Phase 2

Apremilast

Sponsor:

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Code:

NCT07325266

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol Misuse

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Placebo

Apremilast

Study Details

Brief summary:

Primary: The primary objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of two different maintenance doses of apremilast (tablets) in reducing alcohol craving among subjects with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) after two weeks of daily dosing.

Secondary: Secondary objectives include evaluation of two different maintenance doses of apremilast compared with matched placebo on other measures of self-reported alcohol consumption, alcohol craving, alcohol-related negative consequences, AUD symptoms, pain, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, quality of life, cigarette smoking, other nicotine use, cannabis use, retention in the study, and safety.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol Misuse

Study ID

NCT07325266

Start date

Apr 3, 2026

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Jul 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria (not exhaustive list):

1. Be at least 21 years of age.
2. Have a current (past 12 months) DSM-5 diagnosis of AUD (4 or more symptoms) assessed using the MINI neuropsychiatric interview version 7.0.2 (at least moderate severity).
3. Have a BAC by breathalyzer equal to 0.000 when s/he signed the informed consent document (either just prior to or immediately after signing consent).
4. Be seeking treatment for problems with alcohol and express a goal of abstinence or a reduction in drinking.
5. Be able to verbalize an understanding of the consent form, able to provide written informed consent, verbalize willingness to complete study procedures, able to understand written and oral instructions in English and able to complete the questionnaires required by the protocol.
6. Agree (if the participant is female and of childbearing potential) to use at least one of the following methods of birth control, unless she is surgically sterile, partner is surgically sterile or she is postmenopausal:

  • oral contraceptives,
  • contraceptive sponge,
  • patch,
  • double barrier (diaphragm/spermicidal or condom/spermicidal),
  • intrauterine contraceptive system,
  • etonogestrel implant,
  • medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injection,
  • complete abstinence from sexual intercourse, and/or
  • hormonal vaginal contraceptive ring.
7. Be willing to adhere to the investigational product dosing schedule.
8. Complete all assessments required at screening and baseline.
9. Have a place to live in the 2 weeks prior to randomization and not be at risk that s/he will lose his/her housing by Study Week 6.
10. Not anticipate any significant problems with transportation arrangements or available time to travel to the study site by Study Week 6.
11. Not have any plans to move within Study Week 6 to a location which would make continued participation in the study impractical.
12. Provide contact information of someone, such as a family member, spouse, or significant other, who may be able to contact the participant in case of a missed clinic appointment.
13. Be someone who in the opinion of the investigator would be expected to complete the study protocol.
14. Agree to the schedule of visits, verbally acknowledge that s/he will be able to attend each scheduled visit, participate in phone visits and that s/he does not have any already scheduled events or a job that may substantially interfere with study participation.
15. If taking a medication for depression, must have been taking a stable dose in the 2-months prior to randomization and plan to continue during the study. This includes drugs such as the following:

  • SSRIs
  • Dual uptake inhibitors
  • SNRIs
  • Tricyclic antidepressants
  • MAOIs
  • Bupropion
16. Not currently taking apremilast and agree not to take non-study supplied apremilast for the duration of the study.
17. Have normal renal function defined as creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL per minute by the Cockcroft-Gault equation.

Exclusion Criteria:

Contact study site for exclusion criteria

Study Design

Enrollment

100 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Oral Apremilast 60 mg/day

Apremilast, 30mg per capsule, administered twice daily (AM/PM), Placebo, administered once daily (AM)

active comparator: Oral Apremilast 90 mg/day

Apremilast, 30mg per capsule, 2 capsules (AM) and 1 capsule (PM)

placebo comparator: Oral Matched Placebo

Placebo, capsule, 2 capsules (AM) and 1 capsule (PM)

Interventions

Placebo

Matched Placebo Capsule

Apremilast

30 mg capsule

Primary outcome measure

  • Alcohol Craving [ Time Frame: Week 4 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

University of California

Recruiting

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Lara Ray, PhD

University of Colorado

Recruiting

Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Joseph Schacht, PhD

University of Virginia

Recruiting

Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22911

Contacts

Tracie Kostelac

434.243.0563

Principal Investigator:

Nassima Ait-Daoud Tiouririne, MD

More Information

Sponsor

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Last update posted

May 1, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) on 2026-05-01.