Vanda Halts Phase III Trial of VQW‑765 for Social Anxiety Disorder
The late‑stage study failed to show benefit over placebo, leading Vanda to pause further development.
17 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
#Vanda #VQW-765 #Social Anxiety Disorder #SUDS #Alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ Phase III study of its oral α7‑nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, VQW‑765, in adults with social anxiety disorder did not meet its primary endpoint. The trial, which enrolled 546 participants at 30 U.S. sites, compared a single dose of VQW‑765 with placebo before the Trier Social Stress Test. Female participants showed SUDS scores of 65.6 in the treatment arm versus 66.0 with placebo, a difference that was not statistically significant (p = 0.8899). The key secondary endpoint in the full population was also not met (p = 0.6605).
Vanda has placed the VQW‑765 program on hold while it performs a comprehensive review of the full dataset from the study. The company confirmed that VQW‑765 was safe and well tolerated in the trial, but no significant anxiety‑quelling effect was seen. The pause means Vanda is not pursuing the drug in any other indication at this time, according to its website. The setback is notable because the company had expected the SAD readout to be a major catalyst for its pipeline.