Testing VLS-01-203 BU against a placebo for treatment resistant depression
Official title: A Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of VLS-01 Buccal Film, Compared to Placebo in Patients With Treatment Resistant Depression (ELUMINA)
A Phase 2, Multicenter, Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial to Assess the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Repeated Doses of VLS-01 Buccal Film in Participants With Treatment Resistant Depression
Interventions
VLS-01-203 BU
VLS-01 buccal transmucosal administration
VLS-01-BU Placebo
Placebo buccal transmucosal administration
Canadian Sites (2)
Centre for Neurology Studies
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Providence Care Hospital
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for15 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +Participant must be 18 to 65 years of age inclusive at the time of signing the Informed ConsentInformed consentThe process of being told what taking part involves, then choosing freely.Read more →.
- +Has a diagnosis of recurrent moderate or severe MDD without psychotic features or single- episode MDD with duration greater than or equal to 3 months without psychotic features and is currently experiencing a major depressive episode.
- +Onset of first episode of MDD occurred before age 55.
- +Has not responded to an adequate dose and duration of at least two and no more than five antidepressant medications for the current depressive episode, as determined by the Massachusetts General Hospital Antidepressant Treatment Response Questionnaire (MGH- ATRQ).
- +Capable of giving signed informed consent which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the informed consent form (ICF) and in the protocolProtocolThe detailed plan a study must follow.Read more →.
Exclusion
- −Has any known allergy or hypersensitivity to VLS-01 or to any of the excipients in the formulation.
- −Has a current or prior DSM-5-TR diagnosis of a schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder, substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder, bipolar and related disorder, or any disorder with psychotic features.
- −Has a history of, or current signs and symptoms of, diseases or conditions that would make participation not be in the best interest (e.g., compromise the wellbeing) of the participant or that could prevent, limit, or confound the protocolProtocolThe detailed plan a study must follow.Read more →-specified assessments.
- −Has suicidal ideation with some intent to act within 6 months before ScreeningScreeningThe checks done before joining, to see whether a study fits.Read more → or a history of suicidal behavior within the past 1 year before Screening.
- −Has a history of clinically significant cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or peripheral vascular disease or condition, including but not limited to unstable angina, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, valvular heart disease, obstructive coronary artery disease, hypertension, hypotension, bradycardia, tachycardia, or risk factors for long QT Syndrome.
- −Has an active malignancy, or history of malignancy, excluding basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, within 2 years before Screening.
- −Has recently initiated and is currently undergoing directive psychotherapy (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy) within the past 30 days before Screening. Participants planning to initiate individual or group therapy during the study are also not eligible.
- −Has received any prohibited therapies.
- −Has clinically significant laboratory abnormalities at Screening.
- −Has a moderate or severe substance use disorder (drug, alcohol, or tobacco) within the 6 months before Screening and/or history of moderate or severe substance use disorder (drug alcohol) within the previous 1 year before Screening
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
Phase 2Phase 2A middle-stage study looking at what a treatment does and watching for side effects.Read more → — a middle-stage study in a few hundred people at most, looking at what the treatment does and watching for side effectsSide effectAn unwanted effect thought to be caused by the treatment itself.Read more →.
What is being given or done in this study: VLS-01-203 BU, VLS-01-BU PlaceboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more →.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
- armsInterventionsModule.interventions[].name
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
You, the study team, and the people analysing the results would all be kept unaware of which group you are in until the study ends.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
One group receives a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → — a dummy treatment with no active medicine in it.
There are 2 groups in this study.
From the trial registry
Built from this field:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Who the study is looking for
The study lists an age range of 18 years to 65 years.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 142 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around August 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: BaselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → to Day 29.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Change from BaselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score — measured over Baseline to Day 29.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06524830 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About VLS-01-203 BUDrug
VLS-01 buccal transmucosal administration
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a drug is here: A medicine — a chemical or small-molecule treatment — given as the thing being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About VLS-01-BU PlaceboDrug
Placebo buccal transmucosal administration
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a drug is here: A medicine — a chemical or small-molecule treatment — given as the thing being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: an age range of 18 years to 65 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
Yes. This study includes a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group — a dummy treatment with no active medicine in it.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
You, the study team, and the people analysing the results would all be kept unaware of which group you are in until the study ends.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists an age range of 18 years to 65 years.
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: BaselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → to Day 29.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-08-30.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 142 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists 5 locations, including: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; Kingston, Ontario, Canada; Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States; New York, New York, United States; Bellevue, Washington, United States.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
This Phase 2 study (protocol number VLS-01-203) will determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of short-term treatment with a VLS-01 transmucosal buccal film (VLS-01-BU) in patients with treatment resistant Major Depressive disorder (TRD) and will characterize the onset and durability of antidepressant effects of VLS-01-BU versus placebo.
Other Sites (3)
Institute for Integrative Therapies
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States
The Medical Research Network, LLC
New York, New York, United States
Seattle Neuropsychiatric Treatment Center
Bellevue, Washington, United States
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.