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Not yet recruitingNCT06808932Updated Apr 9, 2026

VK4-116 Phase I Study With Food-Effect

A Phase 1 interventional study of VK4-116 and Placebo in Opioid Dependence and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-09.

Sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
48
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study 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.

Read the detailed description

Approximately 48 healthy volunteers will be enrolled and randomized to receive either VK4-116 or a placebo within one of five ascending dose cohorts. Each cohort will consist of eight participants, with a 6:2 ratio of active drug to placebo assignment. Dose escalation decisions will be made following a review of blinded safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic (PK) data from the preceding cohort.

The proposed dose levels under fasting conditions are 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 400 mg, and 500 mg. Additional cohort will receive a 200 mg dose in a fed state, approximately 30 minutes after a high-fat, high-calorie breakfast. Dose adjustments may be made based on the safety, tolerability, and PK data observed in earlier cohorts.

Participants will be admitted to the research clinic one day prior to receiving their assigned treatment. Following the administration of VK4-116 or placebo, participants will be continuously monitored for adverse events, and PK blood samples will be collected at predetermined intervals. Participants will remain in the clinic for 4 days, until the 72-hour PK blood sample has been collected. Participants in the food-effect cohort will stay in the clinic for 8 days (for fasted stat followed by fed state assessments). A follow-up visit will be scheduled three days after discharge from the clinic.

02

Conditions studied

  • Opioid Dependence
  • Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

Keywords

  • addiction
  • dopamine
  • dopamine receptor
03

In context

Opioid-Related Disorders

1,472 studies on the registry are indexed under Opioid-Related Disorders; 290 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 48 is below the median of 63 across 1,166 interventional studies indexed under Opioid-Related Disorders.

Browse Opioid-Related Disorders studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the lead sponsor of 393 studies on the registry; 19 are open to participants now.

Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 6 (43%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

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 (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 , and verbalize willingness to complete study procedures.
  4. Have no concurrent medical conditions determined by medical history, physical examination, clinical laboratory examination, vital signs, and 12-lead .
  5. A female study participant must meet one of the following criteria:

    • If of - agrees to use one of the accepted 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

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Have any 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 .
  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 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
  6. Have a history of liver disease or current elevation of (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 2 × the (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 value of \<13 g/dL for men and \<12 g/dL for women.
  11. Have undergone treatment with an 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 surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody (HCVAb), or (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
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(15)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

QT and QTc

On an ECG, the QT interval is the time the heart’s lower chambers take to activate electrically and recover in each beat. QTc is that time adjusted for heart rate (QTcF by Fridericia’s formula, QTcB by Bazett’s). Some medicines lengthen it, and a long QTc can raise the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm.

The study may name a correction formula and a limit in milliseconds, often around 450–480.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Sequential assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
48 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    50 mg dose

    oral administration in fasted state

    Drug: VK4-116

  • Experimental
    100 mg dose

    oral administration in fasted state

    Drug: VK4-116

  • Experimental
    200 mg dose

    oral administration in fasted state

    Drug: VK4-116

  • Experimental
    400 mg dose

    oral administration in fasted state

    Drug: VK4-116

  • Experimental
    500 mg dose

    oral administration in fasted state

    Drug: VK4-116

  • Experimental
    200 mg dose in fed state

    oral administration in fed state

    Drug: VK4-116

  • Placebo comparator
    placebo

    oral administration

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • DrugVK4-116

    D3R antagonist

  • DrugPlacebo

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

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events in Healthy Adult Participants

    The number of treatment-emergent adverse events will be measured using a combination of data collection methods, including tracking adverse events and assessing their onset or worsening relative to the initiation of treatment. The most recent version of the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) preferred terms will be used to classify adverse events, including their relationship to the treatment and maximum severity. Events will be identified either through subject self-report or clinically significant abnormal findings on: (i) Physical examination (ii) Vital signs assessments (heart rate (BPM), systolic blood pressure (mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), respiration rate (RPM), and temperature (F)) (iii) ECG assessment (QTcF) as determined by the Investigator/consulting board-certified cardiologist (iv) Clinical Laboratory Assessments

    Time frame: 7 days for fasted condition, 11 days for fed condition

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cmax

    maximum observed plasma concentration (ng/mL)

    Time frame: 72 hours

  2. AUC

    area under the concentration-time curve (mg\*h/L)

    Time frame: 72 hours

  3. Tmax

    time of maximum observed plasma concentration (hours)

    Time frame: 72 hours

  4. half life (t½)

    VK4-116 elimination half-life (hours)

    Time frame: 72 hours

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Start is estimated for Aug 2026; primary completion for Apr 2027, 8 months later.

Of 53 non-industry phase 1 interventional studies under Opioid-Related Disorders, half reached primary completion within 26 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 47. This study's planned 8 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 77 studies reached it within 19 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 33.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 22, 2025
First posted
Feb 5, 2025
StartEst.
Aug 1, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Apr 30, 2027
CompletionEst.
Aug 30, 2027
Last update
Apr 9, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 9, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06808932
Collaborators
Altasciences Company Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Feb 5, 2025
Start date
Aug 1, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Apr 30, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 30, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 9, 2026

Study contacts

Debra Kelsh, MD
Contact
DKelsh@altasciences.com
913-696-1601
Sage Hannan, BA
Contact
shannan@altasciences.com
913-696-1601 ext. 6240
Marta De Santis, PhD
study director · National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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