Sublingual Dexmedetomidine for Treating Opioid Withdrawal
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05712707. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
Phase 1B Study of Sublingual Dexmedetomidine, an Alpha 2 Adrenergic Agonist, for Treating Opioid Withdrawal
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
A major challenge to seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is the withdrawal symptoms associated with cessation of opioid use. The signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal include irritability, anxiety, muscular and abdominal pains, chills, nausea, diarrhea, yawning, runny eyes and nose, sweating, sneezing, weakness, and insomnia. The current gold standard of treatment involves a gradual reduction of the opioid drug dosage (tapering). However, as all opioids have potential for abuse and require careful dosing due to side effects (e.g., respiratory depression), a non-opioid medication to facilitate withdrawal severity would be of great value. Commonly used non-opioid medications like lofexidine have concerning side effects including sedation and low blood pressure. BioXcel Therapeutics has developed BXCL501 (dexmedetomidine: sublingual film) to reduce symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal. Dexmedetomidine is currently used as an intravenous anesthetic for its anxiety-reducing, sedative, and analgesic properties. The current study will seek to compare the safety and efficacy of BXCL501 relative to lofexidine and placebo in subjects with OUD who are physically dependent on opioids. Throughout a 7-day inpatient withdrawal period (using a methadone taper) opioid-dependent participants will receive sublingual BXCL501, placebo, or lofexidine. In comparison to lofexidine, dexmedetomidine is expected to have a superior safety profile with limited adverse effects on blood pressure and heart rhythm. Three sites will participate in this study: NYSPI, Clinilabs, Inc., and Yale University. The NYSPI site is currently paused and has been paused since an institutional pause on human subjects research began in June 2023. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) issued an FWA restriction on NYSPI research that also included a pause of human subjects research as of June 23, 2023.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT05712707
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 1, Phase 2
- Enrollment
- 160 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
- BXCL501 (180 micrograms) Drug
- BXCL501 (240 micrograms) Drug
- Placebo Other
- Lofexidine (Positive Control) Other
Drug · Other
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 60 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Feb 27, 2023
- Primary completion
- Jun 29, 2025
- Completion
- Aug 30, 2026
- Last update posted
- Apr 13, 2026
2023 – 2026
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 4
- U.S. states
- 3
- U.S. cities
- 4
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University | New Haven | Connecticut | 06519 | — |
| Clinilabs | Eatontown | New Jersey | 07724 | — |
| CenExel HRI | Marlton | New Jersey | 08053 | — |
| New York State Psychiatric Institute | New York | New York | 10032 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05712707, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Apr 13, 2026 · Synced Sep 2, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT05712707 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.