Effects of L-Carnitine in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients With CHCHD10 Mutations

The study was designed as a single-center, open-label, single-arm pilot study to estimate the safety and efficacy L-carnitine in ALS patients with CHCHD10 mutations.

The study was designed as a single-center, open-label, single-arm pilot study and was performed at the ALS inpatient clinic of the Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, China. ALS patients with CHCHD10 mutations were recruited to participate in the clinical trial. The patients were given L-carnitine therapy administered every 8 weeks, consisting of 1g L-carnitine diluted in 500 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride solution via intravenous infusion once daily. Each treatment cycle lasted 2 weeks, repeated at 8-week intervals for a total of 3 cycles, with L-carnitine 1g is administered orally once daily during the intervals between intravenous therapies. Primary end point was the changes of ALS-FRS-R scores, and secondary end points were the changes of plasm NfL level, FVC%, weight and ALSAQ-40 scores. Eligible patients were assessed at baseline and after 2, 10, 12, 20 and 30 weeks. At each visit, a detailed neurological examination, including assessment of general nerve function as well as quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the motor system, were performed for the patients. All adverse events (AEs) encountered and any serious events were to be recorded as true. Severity was graded according to the modified WHO criteria for toxicity (http://www.regsource. com/\_Adverse\_Event\_Reporting/\_adverse\_event\_ reporting.html) where applicable.