Recruiting
Phase 1

VK4-116

Sponsor:

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Code:

NCT06808932

Conditions

Opioid Dependence

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

VK4-116

Placebo

Study Details

Brief summary:

This first-in-human, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose (SAD), phase I study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of VK4-116 in healthy volunteers in fasted and fed state.

Conditions

Opioid Dependence

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

Study ID

NCT06808932

Start date

Sep 25, 2026

Status verified date

Nov, 2026

Completion date

Dec 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Be a healthy male or female volunteer between 18 and 60 years of age, inclusive, at the time of consent.

• The masculine / feminine gender is used without any discrimination and with the aim to lighten the text.
2. Have a body mass index (BMI) within a range of 17.0 to 36.0 kg/m2 and a minimum weight of at least 50.0 kg at screening.
3. Be able to verbalize understanding of consent form, able to provide written informed consent, and verbalize willingness to complete study procedures.
4. Have no clinically significant concurrent medical conditions determined by medical history, physical examination, clinical laboratory examination, vital signs, and 12-lead ECG.
5. A female study participant must meet one of the following criteria:

  • If of childbearing potential - agrees to use one of the accepted contraceptive regimens from at least 30 days prior to the first administration of the study medication, during the study, and for at least 30 days after the last dose of the study medication. An acceptable method of contraception includes one of the following:

i. abstinence from heterosexual intercourse, ii. hormonal contraceptives (e.g., injectable/implant/insertable hormonal birth control products, transdermal patch), iii. intrauterine device (with or without hormones). OR agrees to use a double barrier method (e.g., condom and spermicide) during the study and for at least 30 days after the last dose of the study medication.
  • If a female of non-childbearing potential - should be surgically sterile (i.e., has undergone complete hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, or tubal ligation/occlusion) or in a menopausal state (at least 1 year without menses), as confirmed by follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels (≥40 mIU/mL).

A male study participant that engages in sexual activity must agree to use a double barrier method (e.g., condom and spermicide) and agree to not donate sperm during the study and for at least 90 days after the last dose of the study medication.
6. Be able and willing to comply with protocol requirements and the rules and regulations of the study site, and be likely to complete all the study treatments.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Have any clinically significant finding within one year of Screening on medical history, physical examination, complete neurological examination, clinical laboratory test, vital signs or ECGs that contraindicate participation in the study. This includes, but is not limited to, history of or current cardiac, hepatic, renal, neurologic, gastrointestinal (GI), pulmonary, endocrinologic, hematologic, or immunologic disease or history of malignancy.
2. Use nicotine products via smoking/vaping in past 6 months.
3. Have a sitting systolic blood pressure (BP) >140 mmHg, diastolic BP >90 mmHg and heart rate (HR) <45 or >100 beats per minute (BPM) at screening and clinic intake.
4. History of unstable angina; a history of myocardial infarction; or a history of a clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia,
5. Has a QT interval corrected for heart rate using Fredericia formula >450 milliseconds in males or >470 milliseconds in females, or evidence of left bundle branch blocks (Note: right bundle branch block is acceptable), second or third degree AV block, or evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy on ECG
6. Have a history of liver disease or current elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 2 × the upper limit of normal (ULN).
7. Have a history of renal disease or current renal function test values as follows:

  • blood urea nitrogen (BUN) >2 × ULN,
  • creatinine (Cr) >1.5 mg/dL.
8. Have donated blood (excluding plasma donation) of approximately 500 mL within 56 days prior to screening.
9. Have donated plasma within 7 days prior to screening.
10. Have hemoglobin value of <13 g/dL for men and <12 g/dL for women.
11. Have undergone treatment with an investigational drug within 30 days or 5 times the half-life (whichever is longer) prior to screening.
12. Have taken prescribed medications within 14 days of Day -1 or over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, herbal products, or vitamins within 7 days or 5 half-lives (if known), whichever is longer, of Day -1.
13. Have a positive urine drug test for alcohol, opioids (e.g., codeine, heroin, fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone, etc.), cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), benzodiazepines, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), barbiturates, propoxyphene, or phencyclidine/phenylcyclohexyl piperidine (PCP) at admission.
14. Have a history of suicide attempts or current or recent evidence of suicidal ideation in the past 12 months based on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS).
15. Have a positive serology for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Hepatitis C antibody (HCVAb), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
16. Have positive results for a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test.
17. Have a history of anaphylaxis and known allergy to any drug formulation.
18. Have a history of consumption of any product containing grapefruit, pomelo, Seville oranges, or alcohol within 7 days before study drug dosing on Day 1.
19. Have consumed any product containing caffeine or xanthine within 24 hours before study drug dosing on Day 1

Study Design

Enrollment

48 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Sequential

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: 50 mg dose

oral administration in fasted state

experimental: 100 mg dose

oral administration in fasted state

experimental: 200 mg dose

oral administration in fasted state

experimental: 400 mg dose

oral administration in fasted state

experimental: 500 mg dose

oral administration in fasted state

experimental: 200 mg dose in fed state

oral administration in fed state

placebo comparator: placebo

oral administration

Interventions

VK4-116

D3R antagonist

Placebo

Each of the four dose groups of n=8 participants will be assigned to active drug or placebo in the ration 6:2.

Primary outcome measure

  • Number of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events in Healthy Adult Participants [ Time Frame: 7 days for fasted condition, 11 days for fed condition ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

Altasciences Clinical Kansas

Recruiting

Overland Park, Kansas, United States, 66212

Contacts

More Information

Sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Last update posted

Nov 13, 2026

Last verified

Nov, 2026

Keywords

  • addiction
  • dopamine
  • dopamine receptor

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-11-14. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on 2026-11-13. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.