Neurosterix Completes Phase 1 Studies of M4 Modulator NTX-253
Published in Brain/Neurology, Drugs development & discovery.
October 8, 2026
Addex Therapeutics announced today that its spin-out Neurosterix has completed phase 1 studies of NTX-253 and plans to advance the candidate into phase 2 development for schizophrenia.
NTX-253 is an experimental oral positive allosteric modulator of the muscarinic M4 receptor. The approach aims to adjust muscarinic signaling, indirectly influencing dopamine pathways.
The phase 1 program included healthy volunteers and stable schizophrenia patients. Its ascending-dose design included single- and multiple-dose components, food-effect evaluation and cerebrospinal fluid assessments to characterize safety and pharmacokinetics.
The announcement describes a development milestone but does not provide participant numbers, numerical adverse-event results or evidence of clinical efficacy. The planned phase 2 studies will need to assess patient benefit. Claims that M4 modulation could avoid complications associated with conventional dopamine antagonists remain to be established for NTX-253 in clinical trials.