BHV-7000 for Depression
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Phase 2
Verified Trial
Recruiting
Sponsor: Biohaven Therapeutics Ltd.
Must not be taking: Psychotropics
Disqualifiers: Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Neuropsychiatric, others
Prior Safety Data
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?This trial is testing a new medication called BHV-7000 to see if it helps people with severe depression and if it is safe.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
Yes, you will need to stop taking all medications used to treat depression before joining the study.
Is BHV-7000 safe for humans?
The safety data for BHV-7000 specifically is not available, but similar compounds like AVN-101, which also target the 5-HT7 receptor, have been shown to be well tolerated in humans at certain doses, with low toxicity and no significant safety concerns in early clinical trials.
12345How is the drug BHV-7000 different from other depression treatments?
The drug BHV-7000 is unique because it may target the BH3-interacting domain death agonist (Bid), a protein involved in cell death, which is a novel approach compared to traditional antidepressants that typically focus on neurotransmitter levels.
678910Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for adults aged 18-75 with moderate to severe depression lasting at least 2 months. Participants must have a BMI between 18 and 35, agree to stop all psychotropic meds before the study, and not be pregnant or planning pregnancy. Those with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or on multiple depression medications are excluded.Inclusion Criteria
Have you been experiencing symptoms of depression for over 2 months but less than 2 years?
At the beginning of the study, you would need to have a
negative test for cannabis and not use any cannabis
during the study. Would you be okay with that?
Have you felt at least 3 of the following things recently? Feeling sad; low energy or feeling tired; hopelessness or putting yourself down; not being interested in things that you usually enjoy such as hobbies or activities, or friends and family; difficulty concentrating or focusing on things; appetite changes like pushing yourself to eat orovereating; difficulty falling or staying asleep, or oversleeping?
Exclusion Criteria
Have you been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Have you been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease?
Have you been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease?
+13 more
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Treatment
Participants receive BHV-7000 or placebo for 6 weeks to evaluate efficacy and safety in Major Depressive Disorder
6 weeks
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment
2 weeks
Participant Groups
The trial is testing BHV-7000's effectiveness and safety in treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Participants will either receive BHV-7000 or a placebo to compare outcomes.
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
Group I: BHV-7000Experimental Treatment1 Intervention
Group II: PlaceboPlacebo Group1 Intervention
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
IMA PhoenixPhoenix, AZ
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Biohaven Therapeutics Ltd.Lead Sponsor
References
Novel N-biphenyl-2-ylmethyl 2-methoxyphenylpiperazinylalkanamides as 5-HT7R antagonists for the treatment of depression. [2014]5-HT7 receptor (5-HT7R) is a promising target for the treatment of depression and neuropathic pain. 5-HT7R antagonists exhibited antidepressant effects, while the agonists produced strong anti-hyperalgesic effects. In our efforts to discover selective 5-HT7R antagonists or agonists, N-biphenylylmethyl 2-methoxyphenylpiperazinylalkanamides 1 were designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated against 5-HT7R. Among the synthesized compounds, N-2'-chlorobiphenylylmethyl 2-methoxyphenylpiperazinylpentanamide 1-8 showed the best binding affinity with a Ki value of 8.69nM and it was verified as a novel antagonist according to functional assays. The compound 1-8 was very selective over 5-HT1DR, 5-HT2AR, 5-HT3R, 5-HT5AR and 5-HT6R and moderately selective over 5-HT1AR, 5-HT1BR and 5-HT2CR. The novel 5-HT7R antagonist 1-8 exhibited an antidepressant effect at a dose of 25mg/kg in the forced swimming test in mice and showed a U-shaped dose-response curve which typically appears in 5-HT7R antagonists such as SB-269970 and lurasidone.
Effect of the selective 5-HT7 receptor antagonist SB 269970 in animal models of anxiety and depression. [2019]The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the selective 5-HT7 receptor antagonist SB 269970 (0.25-20 mg/kg) in the behavioral tests commonly used for predicting anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like activity. Diazepam and imipramine were used as standard drugs. SB 269970 (in one medium dose of 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) exerted a specific antianxiety-like effect in the Vogel drinking test in rats, in the elevated plus-maze test in rats and in the four-plate test in mice. Moreover, SB 269970 (in one medium dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg) showed antidepressant-like activity in the forced swimming and the tail suspension tests in mice. At the same time, the tested compound at doses of 1-20 mg/kg did not change the spontaneous locomotor activity of mice. The potential anxiolytic and antidepressant effects produced by SB 269970 were weaker than those of the reference drugs employed. It is noteworthy that the active doses of SB 269970 were devoid of any visible motor side-effects. In conclusion, the results of our studies indicate that 5-HT7 receptor antagonists may play a role in the therapy of both anxiety and depression.
HBK-15 protects mice from stress-induced behavioral disturbances and changes in corticosterone, BDNF, and NGF levels. [2018]Unlike majority of current antidepressants, HBK-15-a 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptor antagonist - showed memory-enhancing properties. In this study, we aimed to further characterize pharmacological profile of HBK-15 and investigate its antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activity in the mouse model of unpredictable chronic mild stress. We used sucrose consumption test, forced swim test and elevated plus maze test as behavioral endpoints. We also evaluated the influence of HBK-15 on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, as well as body weight, relative adrenal glands weight and plasma corticosterone level in the stressed mice. We utilized LC/MS/MS method to determine HBK-15 concentration in plasma and brain. We evaluated pharmacokinetic profile and distribution to brain of HBK-15 (2.5mg/kg) after intravenous (i.v.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration in CD-1 mice. HBK-15 (2.5mg/kg but not 1.25mg/kg) and fluoxetine (10mg/kg) protected stressed mice from anhedonic-, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, decreases in the BDNF and NGF levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, increases in plasma corticosterone levels and relative adrenal glands weight. The pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated a rapid absorption of HBK-15 after i.p. administration (tmax=5min), a short half-life (t0.5=74min), large volume of distribution (Vss=3.7L/kg) and bioavailability after i.p. administration equal 25%. HBK-15 administered i.v. and i.p. significantly penetrated brain. Our results suggest that the blockade of serotonergic 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptors might be beneficial in the treatment of depressive disorders with cognitive dysfunction.
AVN-101: A Multi-Target Drug Candidate for the Treatment of CNS Disorders. [2019]Lack of efficacy of many new highly selective and specific drug candidates in treating diseases with poorly understood or complex etiology, as are many of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, encouraged an idea of developing multi-modal (multi-targeted) drugs. In this manuscript, we describe molecular pharmacology, in vitro ADME, pharmacokinetics in animals and humans (part of the Phase I clinical studies), bio-distribution, bioavailability, in vivo efficacy, and safety profile of the multimodal drug candidate, AVN-101. We have carried out development of a next generation drug candidate with a multi-targeted mechanism of action, to treat CNS disorders. AVN-101 is a very potent 5-HT7 receptor antagonist (Ki = 153 pM), with slightly lesser potency toward 5-HT6, 5-HT2A, and 5HT-2C receptors (Ki = 1.2-2.0 nM). AVN-101 also exhibits a rather high affinity toward histamine H1 (Ki = 0.58 nM) and adrenergic α2A, α2B, and α2C (Ki = 0.41-3.6 nM) receptors. AVN-101 shows a good oral bioavailability and facilitated brain-blood barrier permeability, low toxicity, and reasonable efficacy in animal models of CNS diseases. The Phase I clinical study indicates the AVN-101 to be well tolerated when taken orally at doses of up to 20 mg daily. It does not dramatically influence plasma and urine biochemistry, nor does it prolong QT ECG interval, thus indicating low safety concerns. The primary therapeutic area for AVN-101 to be tested in clinical trials would be Alzheimer's disease. However, due to its anxiolytic and anti-depressive activities, there is a strong rational for it to also be studied in such diseases as general anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and multiple sclerosis.
New tetrahydrobenzindoles as potent and selective 5-HT(7) antagonists with increased In vitro metabolic stability. [2019]Chemical modifications of compound 1 (DR4004), a potent, selective antagonist of the 5-HT(7) receptor, were conducted with the aim of improving its metabolic stability. Halogenation of putative sites of oxidative metabolism afforded compounds 7-10, which retained high affinity and selectivity for the 5-HT(7) receptor, and showed increased in vitro metabolic stability. Compound 10 (DR4485) showed oral bioavailability, and should be a useful tool for evaluating the therapeutic potential of 5-HT(7) antagonists.
Overexpression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus protects against post-stroke depression. [2020]Post-stroke depression is associated with reduced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In this study, we evaluated whether BDNF overexpression affects depression-like behavior in a rat model of post-stroke depression. The middle cerebral artery was occluded to produce a model of focal cerebral ischemia. These rats were then subjected to isolation-housing combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress to generate a model of post-stroke depression. A BDNF gene lentiviral vector was injected into the hippocampus. At 7 days after injection, western blot assay and real-time quantitative PCR revealed that BDNF expression in the hippocampus was increased in depressive rats injected with BDNF lentivirus compared with depressive rats injected with control vector. Furthermore, sucrose solution consumption was higher, and horizontal and vertical movement scores were increased in the open field test in these rats as well. These findings suggest that BDNF overexpression in the hippocampus of post-stroke depressive rats alleviates depression-like behaviors.
Efficacy and safety of Banxia-Houpo-Tang (Banha-Hubak-Tang) for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. [2023]and purpose: Banxia-Houpo-Tang (Banha-Hubak-Tang, BHT) is an East Asian traditional herbal medicine used for treating depression. Hence, this review aimed to provide reliable evidence on the efficacy and safety of BHT for depression.
[Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mood disorder]. [2022]Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most abundant and widely expressed neurotrophin in the brain. BDNF is believed to play an important role in depressive disorder. Chronic stress decreases the synthesis of hippocampal BDNF, which leads to atrophy of the hippocampus in the depressed patients. Blood BDNF levels also decreased in depressed patients and a correlation is observed between severities of depressive state and blood BDNF levels. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors both recover the decreased blood BDNF levels. These findings indicate that the blood BDNF level is one of the candidate biomarkers for depression.
The effect of Banxia-houpo decoction on CUMS-induced depression by promoting M2 microglia polarization via TrkA/Akt signalling. [2023]It has been reported that Banxia-houpo decoction (BXHPD) serves as the anti-depressant treatment for a mild and severe depressive disease with limited side effects. The present study was performed to evaluate the protective effect of BXHPD on chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression and explore its effect on TrkA/Akt-mediated microglia polarization. The CUMS procedure was carried out, and the mice were intragastrically treated with BXHPD once daily. The selective TrkA inhibitor GW441756 was applied to further investigate the role of TrkA in BXHPD-mediated microglia polarization. The behaviour test including open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT), tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST) was performed. The concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-12 and anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-10 were determined using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The population of Iba1+ cells and the length of microglia processes were observed under the fluorescence microscope. The mRNA expressions of Arg1, Ym1 and Fizzl1 were measured by PCR. The protein expressions of TrkA, p-Tyr490-TrkA, p-Ser473-Akt, p-Ser473-Akt1, p-Ser474-Akt2, p-CREB and Jmjd3 were detected by western blot. Our results showed that BXHPD attenuated CUMS-induced depressive-like behaviour, promoted anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines, suppressed microglia activation, promoted M2 phenotype-specific indices and upregulated the expressions of TrkA, p-Tyr490-TrkA, p-Ser473-Akt, p-Ser473-Akt1, p-Ser474-Akt2, p-CREB and Jmjd3. The above beneficial effect of BXHPD can be blocked by TrkA inhibitor GW441756. This work demonstrated that BXHPD exerted an anti-depressant effect by promoting M2 phenotype microglia polarization via TrkA/Akt pathway.
Targeting the BH3-interacting domain death agonist to develop mechanistically unique antidepressants. [2021]The BH3-interacting domain death agonist (Bid) is a pro-apoptotic member of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein family. Previous studies have shown that stress reduces levels of Bcl-2 in brain regions implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders, whereas antidepressants and mood stabilizers increase Bcl-2 levels. The Bcl-2 protein family has an essential role in cellular resilience as well as synaptic and neuronal plasticity and may influence mood and affective behaviors. This study inhibited Bid in mice using two pharmacological antagonists (BI-11A7 and BI-2A7); the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram was used as a positive control. These agents were studied in several well-known rodent models of depression-the forced swim test (FST), the tail suspension test (TST), and the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm-as well as in the female urine sniffing test (FUST), a measure of sex-related reward-seeking behavior. Citalopram and BI-11A7 both significantly reduced immobility time in the FST and TST and attenuated escape latencies in mice that underwent the LH paradigm. In the FUST, both agents significantly improved duration of female urine sniffing in mice that had developed helplessness. LH induction increased the activation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), a caspase-independent cell death constituent activated by Bid, and mitochondrial AIF expression was attenuated by chronic BI-11A7 infusion. Taken together, the results suggest that functional perturbation of apoptotic proteins such as Bid and, alternatively, enhancement of Bcl-2 function, is a putative strategy for developing novel therapeutics for mood disorders.