Pharmacological Countermeasures for High Altitude

The aim of this randomized, double-blind study is to determine whether erythropoietin (Procrit) and acetazolamide: 1) mitigates altitude-induced decrements in performance at moderate altitude (3,000 m) and 2) mitigates altitude-induced decrements in performance and reduce acute mountain sickness during prolonged exposure to high altitude (4,300 m; 15 days). Volunteers will complete 5 study phases: Phase 1) sea level baseline testing and a moderate altitude exposure; Phase 2) 4 week study intervention - randomly assigned to receive erythropoietin or placebo); Phase 3) 3 1/2 days of acetazolamide and a moderate altitude exposure; Phase 4) high altitude acclimatization - 15 days at Pikes Peak; and Phase 5) two week deacclimatization. Test battery include VO2peak, 3.2 km treadmill time trial, measures of gas exchange and ventilation during rest and exercise, and blood collection.

NCT Number	NCT05300477
Lead Sponsor	United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine Collaborators: University of Puget Sound
Conditions	Hypobaric Hypoxia
Enrollment	18 participants
Start Date	2022-05-27
Primary Completion	2023-09-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-09-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-03-26