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Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of MCAM in Healthy Adult Participants

A Phase 1, First-In-Human, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Single Ascending Doses of MCAM in Randomized Healthy Adult Participants (Double-Blind)

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Early Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07602335
Enrollment
24
Registered
2026-05-22
Start date
2026-08-08
Completion date
2027-12-31
Last updated
2026-06-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Opioid Use Disorder

Keywords

Healthy participants, μ-Opioid Receptor

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the safety and to see if there are any side effects of the investigational drug, MCAM. The main aim is to measure blood levels of the study drug after oral administration. Researchers will compare the active study drug to a placebo to test for any differences between the two groups. Participants will be screened for up to 28 days before starting study treatment. Following the screening visit, participants will be admitted to a clinic for 4 days for treatment with either the study drug or placebo. They will attend a follow-up visit on Days 5 and 7 and participate in a follow-up phone call on Day 8. Three different doses will be tested to find the highest safe dose.

Detailed description

A Single ascending dose (SAD) will be administered to evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of MCAM. MCAM will be dosed orally to healthy adult participants at one of 3 dose levels: 3, 10, or 30 mg or a matching placebo.

Interventions

OTHERPlacebo

A 1% methylcellulose solution will be dosed orally using an amber syringe to maintain blinding.

DRUGMCAM

MCAM will be dosed orally as a 3, 10, or 30 mg suspension in an amber syringe to maintain blinding.

Sponsors

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

All study staff (including the safety evaluator) and participants will be blinded as to the administration of MCAM or placebo. Pharmacy staff will be unblinded.

Intervention model description

A phase 1, first-in-human, placebo-controlled study. A dose escalation to determine maximum tolerable dose.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 55 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Is willing and able to provide informed consent and comply with all protocol requirements 2. Is aged ≥18 years and ≤55 years at time of informed consent 3. Has a body mass index (BMI) between 18.0 and 32.0 kg/m2 and body weight (BW) not lower than 50 kg 4. Participant is a nonsmoker (for at least 3 months prior to Screening) and does not use tobacco-containing products (including but not limited to cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, or nicotine patch or gum) 5. Has Blood pressure (BP) and Heart rate (HR) within the normal range at the Screening visit after 5 minutes in a seated position: 1. Systolic BP between 90 and 145 mmHg 2. Diastolic BP between 60 and 90 mmHg 3. HR between 60 and 90 beats per minute 6. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is normal based on 12-lead ECG assessment at Screening: 1. ECG PR interval between 120 and 200 ms 2. ECG QRS interval \<100 ms 3. ECG QT interval (corrected) (QTc) with Fridericia formula (QTcF) \<450 ms and no history of additional risk factors for Torsades de pointes (TdP) 4. No sign of any sinus node dysfunction 7. Has clinical laboratory parameters (hematology \[including coagulation\], clinical chemistry, and urinalysis) within normal ranges. Individual values out of the normal range may be acceptable if judged clinically insignificant by an Investigator. 8. Has not been dosed in an interventional clinical drug trial within 30 days prior to screening or within 5 half-lives of the last dose of study drug, whichever is longer. 9. If female, participants who are not of childbearing potential should be surgically sterile (e.g., have undergone hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, or tubal ligation/occlusion) or in a post-menopausal state (at least one year without menses). Female participants of childbearing potential will use a highly effective (i.e., failure rate of \<1%) method of contraception throughout the study and for at least five half-lives following MCAM dosing. Methods of contraception that are considered to be highly effective with a failure rate of \<1% that are appropriate for this study include the following: a) intrauterine device (IUD)/intrauterine system (IUS); b) implantable rod; c) bilateral tubal occlusion; d) complete abstinence from sexual intercourse; and e) infertile male partner (e.g., vasectomized \[with documented evidence of azoospermia\], permanently sterile following bilateral orchidectomy, or any other documented cause of infertility). 10. If female, must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test at Screening and a negative serum or urine test at Admission (day 1) 11. Male participants who report surgical sterilization will be required to confirm sterility by post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA). Participants in whom PVSA confirmation cannot be obtained will be required to use a double-barrier method (e.g., condom with spermicide), same as for the rest of the male participants, or agree to remain abstinent from heterosexual intercourse at the time of Screening, during the study, and for at least five half-lives following MCAM dosing. 12. If male, participants must agree not to donate sperm for the duration of the study and for 90 days after the last dose of study drug.

Exclusion criteria

1. Any significant acute or chronic medical illness 2. Any history of cancer within 5 years of enrollment, with the exception of fully resected skin basal cell carcinoma 3. Any major hospitalization or surgery 3 months prior to study drug administration 4. Has donated or experienced a blood loss of 500 mL or more within 56 days prior to Screening or has donated plasma within 7 days prior to Screening 5. Poor venous access assessed at Screening 6. Has ever participated or plans to participate in a substance or alcohol rehabilitation program to treat their substance or alcohol dependence. If participation in a rehabilitation program was court-mandated as part of a plea agreement, entry may be permissible at an Investigator's discretion 7. Any history of substance use disorder) as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5; e.g. a score of ≥2, within a 12-month period) or recent use of an opioid-containing product (e.g., codeine) within 6 months prior to study drug administration 8. History of, or currently diagnosed with, any clinically significant psychiatric disorder (based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition \[DSM-5\] and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview \[MINI\] criteria), which in the opinion of an Investigator could interfere with study participation or study data collection 9. History of any suicidal ideation within the past 6 months or a lifetime history of suicidal behavior, as assessed by the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) 10. Any neurological, renal, cardiac, hepatic, or other medical condition that could interfere with study assessments as determined by and Investigator, or Sponsor 11. Any significant illness or infection, as determined by an Investigator or Sponsor, within the prior 30 days 12. Positive urine alcohol or urine drug screen for substance of abuse at Screening 13. Must not be physically dependent on opioids, as demonstrated by successful completion of the naloxone challenge 14. Known hypersensitivity to any component of the MCAM drug product, naloxone, or placebo 15. Use of any prescription or over-the-counter medications (such as antacids, vitamins, minerals, dietary/herbal preparations, St. John's Wort, and nutritional supplements) within 14 days prior to Screening or 5 half-lives prior to the study 16. Positive screen for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), Hepatitis C (HCV) antibody, or HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies 17. Have a procedure planned that would require the use of opioids for pain management within at least 2 weeks after the conclusion of the study (participants may be resistant to opioids for two weeks or longer after study participation) 18. Is likely, in the opinion of an Investigator, to be non-compliant or uncooperative with study procedures for any reason 19. If female, are pregnant, nursing, or planning to become pregnant during the study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Single Ascending Dose (SAD): CmaxBaseline to 96 hoursMaximum plasma concentration in the blood after administration
SAD: TmaxBaseline to 96 hoursTime to maximum concentration of drug in the blood
SAD: T1/2Baseline to 96 hoursKnown as the "plasma half-life," this is the time required for the concentration of a substance (like a drug) in blood plasma to decrease by half its initial value.
SAD: Area under the curve from 0-24 hoursBaseline to 96 hoursArea under the plasma concentration time curve from time 0 to 24 hours
SAD: Area under the curve from 0-tBaseline to 96 hoursArea under the plasma concentration time curve from time 0 to the last measurable concentration
SAD: Area under the curve from 0-infinityBaseline to 96 hoursArea Under the Curve from time zero to infinity (AUC 0-infinity) is a fundamental pharmacokinetic parameter representing the total drug exposure over time, from administration until the drug is completely eliminated. It measures the entire extent of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTCharles France, PhD
france@uthscsa.edu210 567 6969
CONTACTJulia Taylor, PhD
taylorj4@uthscsa.edu210 567 0105
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBenjamin Sundling, DO

Dr. Vince Clinical Research

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 12, 2026