Primary research question
The primary research question is: in mothers of preterm infants 23–29 completed weeks (23 1/7-29 6/7 weeks) gestation at birth who are pumping to provide expressed breast milk for their infant(s) and are identified as having an inadequate milk supply, does the administration of domperidone compare to placebo increase breast milk volume without any signs of harm over a 2 week period?
Secondary research questions
There are several secondary research questions:
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i.
Is there a relationship between the volume of breast milk produced and timing of initiation and duration of domperidone to treat mothers with defined low breast milk supply?
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ii.
Does gestation at birth contribute to any treatment effect from domperidone in mothers with defined low breast milk supply?
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iii.
Is there a difference in the volume of breast milk produced in mothers identified having an inadequate supply within 7–14 days post delivery versus mothers identified 15–21 days post delivery?
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iv.
Is there a difference in the use of supplementation such as donor breast milk or preterm infant formula between the different strategies of administration during the study period?
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v.
Is there a difference in the use of supplementation, such as formula or donor breast milk by the mother to her infant at 40 weeks post conceptual age (term) and at 6 weeks corrected age (6 weeks post term) between the two groups?
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vi.
Is there a difference in potential adverse events or effects, in particular, those related to gastrointestinal or cardiac difficulties between the two approaches?
Design
EMPOWER is a multi-centre, double-masked, randomized controlled trial in which 560 mothers will randomized to one of two allocated groups: Group A: domperidone 10 mg orally three times daily for 28 days; and Group B: identical placebo 10 mg orally three times daily for 14 days followed by domperidone 10 mg orally three times daily for 14 days. (Figure 1) The primary outcome will be determined at the completion of the first 2-week period comparing study drug and placebo; the second 2-week period will facilitate answering the secondary questions regarding timing and duration of treatment. The mothers will be contacted when their infants are term gestation (40 weeks post conceptual age) and 6 weeks corrected (6 weeks post date of confinement) to document the feeding patterns (breastfeeding/bottle feeding), continued frequency of breast stimulation, additional use of a galactogogue or alternative after the study period, and the use of supplementation other than mother’s own milk for their infants at these time points. In addition, the mothers will be asked to a few questions regarding the intervention and their participation in the trial.
Randomization
Upon consent, the site co-ordinator will be able to randomize the mother using a 24 hour/day web-based randomization service at the data coordinating centre (DCC) at the Centre for Mother, Infant, and Child Research (CMICR) in Toronto. A treatment number will be issued which will correspond to the study medication at the centre which has been previously sent to the site. The study allocation will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio in blocks of 4 and 8. The study participants will be stratified by centre, gestational age groupings (23–26 and 27–29 weeks gestation at delivery) and days post delivery (7–14 and 15–21 days post delivery).
Study setting
The study setting is multi-national with approximately 20–25 centres in Canada, Israel, Qatar, and Chile. Enrollment began in June 2012 and is expected to be completed in 36–42 months.
Ethics, informed consent and safety
Documented approval has been obtained from the Research Ethics Boards/Institutional Review Boards of the participating centres prior to study start. In addition documented approval has been obtained from Health Canada to study domperidone for this off-label indication. The study is also designed to conform to the International Conference on Harmonization of good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines [25], as well as local regulations and policies as well as with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent must be obtained from each participant.
There is no interim analysis planned but regular safety reviews are scheduled for every 100 patients recruited at which time all adverse and serious adverse events are reviewed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). The DSMB will also have the right to review any variables that may have an impact on the trial.
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
The goal is to identify those mothers truly at higher risk of not being able to produce and maintain a supply of breast milk in sufficient quantities for her infant.
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i.
mothers of a preterm infant born ≤ 29 completed weeks gestation (23 1/7-29 6/7 weeks)
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ii.
postpartum period of 7–21 days
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iii.
mechanically pumping an minimum average of 6 times a day in the 4–7 days prior to entry
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iv.
experiencing inadequate milk supply defined as providing <100% of the average of the daily nutritional intake during the previous 72 hour period prior to entry based on a fluid intake of 150 ml/kg/d or experiencing a clinical reduction of 30% from a peak volume during the previous 72 hour period prior to entry (maternal report). The 30% reduction reported by the mother will be confirmed by lactation support personnel in the NICU. In the case of mothers with twins, the estimated fluid volume to be produced will be based on the weight of the larger twin. Mothers can be identified in the NICU as early as day 4 until day 18 post delivery.
Exclusion criteria
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i.
history of known or suspected cardiac dysrhythmias (tachyarrhythmia, Q-Tc prolongation) or currently on an anti-arrhythmic medication
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ii.
currently experiencing mastitis
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iii.
previous breast surgery, including augmentation or reduction, nipple piercing
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iv.
known chronic or debilitating illness, known abnormal liver function, gastric abnormalities (gastrointestinal hemorrhage, blockage or currently treated acid reflux), HIV
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v.
known to a have prolactin-releasing pituitary tumor
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vi.
receiving medications known to alter the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of domperidone (eg. oral “azole” antifungals, erythromycin antibiotics, MAO inhibitors) or medications that have dopaminergic or antidopaminergic activity or affect prolactin levels
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vii.
mother of higher order pregnancies (triplet, or more)
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viii.
current cigarette smoking (cigarette smoking is known to diminish prolactin levels)
Duration of study period
The total study period for the study medication is 4 weeks (28 days). The study medication will end prior to 28 days if any one of the following occurs:
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i.
if the infant dies during the study period
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ii.
 mother’s refusal for ongoing participation with the protocol
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iii.
if the mother is experiencing any irregular heartbeats (documented by an ECG)
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iv.
 if the Q-Tc interval in the ECG is > 0.44 sec (based on standard ECG run at 25 mm/sec) for the mother
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v.
if the infant is demonstrating an irregular heartbeat or prolonged Q-Tc interval confirmed by ECG; blood for domperidone level will be drawn on the infant only if this occurs.
Study outcomes
Primary outcome
The primary outcome is the difference between the two groups in achieving a 50% increase in breast milk volume at the end of the first 2-week period (mean day 14 volume- mean day 0 volume at entry).
Secondary outcomes
The secondary outcomes include:
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i.
mean difference in the tabulated volume in breast milk recorded between the two groups at 2 and 4 weeks (mean day 14 or 28 volume- mean day 0 volume at entry)
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ii.
mean within-subject differences between the two groups at 2 and 4 weeks (mean day 14 or 28 volume- mean day 0 volume at entry)
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iii.
effect of gestational age at the time of delivery on the volume of milk (23–26 and 27–29 weeks gestation at delivery) between the two groups
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iv.
effect of timing of inadequate milk supply post delivery on the volume of milk (7–14 and 15–21 days) between the two groups
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v.
difference in the use of supplementation to expressed breast milk, such as formula or donor breast milk between the two groups during the study period (day 14 and 28)
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vi.
rates of breastfeeding, use of supplementation, such as formula or donor breast milk at 40 weeks post conceptual age (term) and at 6 weeks post term between the different groups
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vii.
potential differences in adverse events, in particular, those related to gastrointestinal or cardiac difficulties
Statistical analysis
All analyses will be carried out using SAS Version 9.1 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Descriptive statistics will be calculated for all variables of interest. Continuous measures will be summarized using means and standard deviations whereas categorical measures will be summarized using counts and percentages.
The primary outcome will be assessed between groups using a logistic regression model. This model will account for correlation among observations taken at the same centre as well as multiple births by the same mother using generalized estimating equations. The model will take into account variables such as gestational age and days post delivery. The number of variables included in the model will be determined using regression modeling guidelines (i.e. for logistic models, the maximum number of variables allowed will equal the number of observations in the smallest of the two outcome categories divided by 10). Prior to analysis, variables will be assessed for the presence of multi-collinearity (tolerance statistic < 0.4), and in this case, only one member of a correlated set will be retained in the model.
The secondary outcomes involving mean difference in the tabulated volume in breast milk will be assessed using a repeated measure analysis of covariance comparing the different groups across the time points of interest, adjusting for correlation among observations taken at the same centre and on the same subject. The model will assess differences between groups, differences over time (within-subject differences), and the group by time interaction adjusting for gestational age and days post delivery.
A linear regression model will be run to assess the relationship between gestational ages at time of delivery on the volume of milk. The model will include group, gestational age (23–26 weeks, or 27–29 weeks), as well as the group by age interaction term. Another linear regression model will be run to assess the relationship between timing of inadequate milk supply post delivery on the volume of milk. The model will include group, timing (7–14 days, 15–21 days), as well as the group by timing interaction term. All regression models conducted in this study will be run using likelihood based methods to account for missing data. The models will also treat twins or triplets as a correlated set of data to adjust for their dependent nature.
Use of supplementation, rates of breastfeeding, and adverse events will be assessed using a chi-square analysis comparing groups.