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Trial registered on ANZCTR
Registration number
ACTRN12624000919516
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
19/06/2024
Date registered
29/07/2024
Date last updated
29/07/2024
Date data sharing statement initially provided
29/07/2024
Type of registration
Prospectively registered
Titles & IDs
Public title
Duloxetine for chronic sciatica (DREAM): an adaptive randomised placebo-controlled trial
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Scientific title
DREAM: an adaptive randomised placebo-controlled trial of duloxetine compared to placebo for reducing leg pain in people with chronic sciatica
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Secondary ID [1]
312091
0
None
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Universal Trial Number (UTN)
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Trial acronym
DREAM
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Linked study record
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Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Sciatica
333723
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Condition category
Condition code
Musculoskeletal
330405
330405
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0
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Other muscular and skeletal disorders
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Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
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Description of intervention(s) / exposure
Duloxetine in addition to usual care
Participants randomised to the active arm of the study will receive a 12-week course of oral duloxetine followed by a 2-week tapering phase. The starting dose will be 30 mg/day for 1 week (one 30 mg capsule per day), increasing to 60 mg/day for 11 weeks (maintenance phase – two 30 mg capsules per day). In the 2-week tapering phase, they will receive 30 mg/day (one 30 mg capsule per day) for 2 weeks before treatment is discontinued. Study doctors will be allowed to make modifications to the treatment regimen if required.
Participants in this group will also receive guideline-recommended advice (eg NICE).
Adherence to study medication will be measured by participants’ self-report of daily medication intake, recorded in a diary or online, and by counting the returned medications, against the study doctor’s prescription record.
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Intervention code [1]
328532
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Treatment: Drugs
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Comparator / control treatment
Placebo in addition to usual care
The treatment regimen for participants randomised to the placebo arm of the study will be the same as the treatment regimen described for the group receiving duloxetine. The placebo capsules will be identical in appearance to the duloxetine capsules. They will consist of gelatin capsules filled with microcrystalline cellulose.
Participants will also receive guideline-recommended advice as per the intervention arm (eg NICE).
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Control group
Placebo
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Outcomes
Primary outcome [1]
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Leg pain intensity
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Assessment method [1]
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Numerical Pain Rating Scale (0-10)
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Timepoint [1]
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Baseline, 4, 8, 12 (primary timepoint), 16, 26 and 52 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [1]
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Disability (key secondary outcome)
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Assessment method [1]
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Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire
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Timepoint [1]
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Baseline, 4, 8, 12, 16, 26, and 52 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [2]
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Low back pain intensity
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Assessment method [2]
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Numerical Pain Rating Scale (0-10)
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Timepoint [2]
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Baseline, 4, 8, 12, 16, 26, and 52 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [3]
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Time to recovery
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Assessment method [3]
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Pain diary collected online (via REDCap) or paper-based questionnaire.
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Timepoint [3]
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Participants will be asked to record the average daily leg pain intensity score in a pain diary for the duration of treatment (14 weeks) using a 0-10 numerical rating scale. Recovery is defined as seven consecutive days with leg pain intensity no higher than 1 out of 10. Data will be censored at 14 weeks or if participants report having recovered, whichever occurs first.
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Secondary outcome [4]
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Quality of life
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Assessment method [4]
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EQ-5D-5L
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Timepoint [4]
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Baseline, 4, 8, 12, 16, 26, and 52 weeks post-randomisation.
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Secondary outcome [5]
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Depression
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Assessment method [5]
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Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
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Timepoint [5]
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Baseline and 8 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [6]
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Anxiety
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Assessment method [6]
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7)
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Timepoint [6]
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Baseline and 8 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [7]
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Sleep disturbance
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Assessment method [7]
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PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Short Form
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Timepoint [7]
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Baseline and 8 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [8]
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Work absenteeism
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Assessment method [8]
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Question collected at follow-up: "did you miss any hours off your normal paid work in the last 4 weeks (or since the last study follow-up that you completed) due to your sciatica?”. Participants will be asked to estimate the number of hours off paid work per week
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Timepoint [8]
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4, 8, 12, 16, 26, and 52 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [9]
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Global perceived effect
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Assessment method [9]
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Global Perceived Effect Scale
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Timepoint [9]
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4, 8, 12, 16, 26, and 52 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [10]
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Safety
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Assessment method [10]
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Adverse Events (including Serious Adverse Events) and will be assessed by self-report at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks for all adverse events (including serious adverse events) that occur between baseline and 14 weeks via study-specific questionnaire and the Antidepressant Side-Effect Checklist.
Examples of adverse events include, but are not limited to, nausea, constipation, dizziness. Severity will be assessed by self-report as mild, moderate, severe.
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Timepoint [10]
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2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks post-randomisation
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Secondary outcome [11]
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Adherence to study medication
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Assessment method [11]
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Measured by participants’ self-report of daily medication intake, recorded in a diary or online, and by counting the returned medications, against the doctor’s prescription record.
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Timepoint [11]
434771
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End of treatment phase (14 weeks)
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Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
- Adults (18 years old and above) with radiating pain into one leg in a dermatomal distribution
- Leg pain duration of at least three months
- Evidence of nerve root involvement, defined by the presence of at least ONE of the following clinical signs in the corresponding distribution: myotomal weakness and/or diminished reflex and/or sensory deficit and/or imaging evidence of nerve root impingement that is consistent with the clinical presentation.
- Leg pain that is at least moderate in intensity at the time of enrolment by a study doctor (as measured by a modified version of item 21 in the 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument).
- An adequate understanding of English or the availability of interpretation services for the participant to complete the trial.
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Minimum age
18
Years
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Maximum age
No limit
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Sex
Both males and females
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Can healthy volunteers participate?
No
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Key exclusion criteria
- Known or suspected specific pathologies in the spine (e.g. fracture, cauda equina syndrome).
- Known or suspected malignancy.
- Having had spinal surgery or other interventional procedure (e.g. epidural injection) in the preceding 6 months.
- Scheduled to have a spinal procedure (e.g. spinal surgery, epidural injection) within 12 weeks at the time of enrolment.
- Currently using any antidepressant for any condition.
- Contraindications to duloxetine, including concomitant use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or if a monoamine oxidase inhibitor has been discontinued within less than 2 weeks, known acute or chronic liver disease, concomitant use with CYP1A2 inhibitors (e.g. fluvoxamine).
- Known history of chronic kidney disease stage 4 or above.
- Precautions for use of duloxetine as specified by the Product Information where risks outweigh potential benefits (e.g. depressive symptoms for which treatment is required as judged by the study doctor, bipolar disorder, history of seizure disorder, etc.).
- Previous severe adverse reaction to duloxetine (e.g. serotonin syndrome) as judged by the study doctor
- For females: pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning conception during the treatment period.
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Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
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Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
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Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Study medication packs will be prepared by a clinical trials investigational product manufacturer according to the randomisation sequence prepared by an independent statistician. Study medication packs will be sealed and distributed to participating sites or dispensed directly to participants. Participants will be dispensed the next sequentially numbered medication pack.
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Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
An independent statistician not involved in any aspect of the study will prepare the randomisation sequence using a computerised random number generator a priori. Patients will be randomised to receive either duloxetine or placebo at a 1:1 ratio using randomly permuted blocks of various sizes.
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Masking / blinding
Blinded (masking used)
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Who is / are masked / blinded?
The people receiving the treatment/s
The people administering the treatment/s
The people assessing the outcomes
The people analysing the results/data
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Intervention assignment
Parallel
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Other design features
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Phase
Phase 4
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Type of endpoint/s
Safety/efficacy
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Statistical methods / analysis
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Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
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Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
1/10/2024
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Actual
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Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
30/06/2027
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Actual
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Date of last data collection
Anticipated
30/06/2028
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Actual
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Sample size
Target
332
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Accrual to date
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Final
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Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
ACT,NSW,NT,QLD,SA,TAS,WA,VIC
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Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1]
316448
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Government body
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Name [1]
316448
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National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
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Address [1]
316448
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Country [1]
316448
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Australia
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Primary sponsor type
University
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Name
The University of Sydney
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Address
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Country
Australia
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Secondary sponsor category [1]
318624
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None
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Name [1]
318624
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Address [1]
318624
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Country [1]
318624
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Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
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Ethics committee name [1]
315239
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The University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee
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Ethics committee address [1]
315239
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https://www.sydney.edu.au/research/research-integrity-and-ethics.html
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Ethics committee country [1]
315239
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Australia
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Date submitted for ethics approval [1]
315239
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29/01/2024
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Approval date [1]
315239
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01/05/2024
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Ethics approval number [1]
315239
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2024/HE000160
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Summary
Brief summary
Sciatica affects many Australians every year, and half of the people who develop sciatica report having persisting pain of at least moderate intensity after 1 year. There are no simple, readily available treatments for patients with chronic sciatica. Identifying a simple low-cost treatment for chronic sciatica would be a major advance in the field. We have shown that the antidepressant duloxetine is a promising, accessible, low-cost treatment for chronic sciatica. However, the is considerable uncertainty about its efficacy. We will conduct the DREAM trial, which will provide a definitive answer about the efficacy duloxetine for chronic sciatica.
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Trial website
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Trial related presentations / publications
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Public notes
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Contacts
Principal investigator
Name
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Dr Giovanni Ferreira
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Address
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Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney, Level 10N KGV Building, Missensden Road, Camperdown, NSW, 2050
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61 02 86276681
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Fax
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Email
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[email protected]
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Contact person for public queries
Name
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Melissa Webb
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Address
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Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney, Level 10N KGV Building, Missensden Road, Camperdown, NSW, 2050
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Country
134099
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Australia
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Phone
134099
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+61 02 86276254
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Fax
134099
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Email
134099
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[email protected]
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Contact person for scientific queries
Name
134100
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Giovanni Ferreira
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Address
134100
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Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney, Level 10N KGV Building, Missensden Road, Camperdown, NSW, 2050
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Country
134100
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Australia
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Phone
134100
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+61 02 86276681
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Fax
134100
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Email
134100
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[email protected]
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Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
Yes
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What data in particular will be shared?
De-identified trial collected as part of the clinical trial will be made available upon request.
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When will data be available (start and end dates)?
Data will be made available after the full trial report has been published.
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Available to whom?
Data will be available to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal for its use and have ethical approval, and will be based on a case-by-case as decided by the Steering Committee.
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Available for what types of analyses?
Any
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How or where can data be obtained?
Access subject to approvals by the Steering Committee. Please forward any requests to the Principal Investigator, Dr Giovanni Ferreira (
[email protected]
)
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What supporting documents are/will be available?
No Supporting Document Provided
Doc. No.
Type
Citation
Link
Email
Other Details
Attachment
22345
Study protocol
[email protected]
22346
Statistical analysis plan
[email protected]
22347
Ethical approval
[email protected]
Results publications and other study-related documents
Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.
Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.
Download to PDF