Efficacy and safety of an alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, VQW-765, in subjects with performance anxiety: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite the high prevalence of social and performance anxiety, current treatments do not meet the full needs of patients. Development of novel anxiolytics with rapid onset of action for on-demand treatment of social and performance anxiety is an active area of clinical research.

Aims

To examine the anxiolytic effect of VQW-765, an α7-nAChR agonist, in subjects with performance anxiety.

Method

We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 230 adults with a history of public speaking anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a single oral dose of 10 mg VQW-765 (n = 116) or placebo (n = 114), followed by a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Anxiety levels were assessed by the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (

SUBMITTER: He Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12278049 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature