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Ceruvia funds Phase I/II trial of non-hallucinogenic LSD analog for cluster headache

Ceruvia funds Phase I/II trial of non-hallucinogenic LSD analog for cluster headache

Greenwich, Connecticut-based Ceruvia Lifesciences announced a USD 8 million founder-backed investment to fully fund an integrated Phase I/II clinical study of BOL-148 (NYPRG-101), its proprietary non-hallucinogenic LSD analog, in patients with cluster headache — a disorder for which no FDA-approved preventive therapies currently exist for the chronic form.

The financing is entirely founder-backed and provides capital sufficient to complete the integrated study without requiring an additional funding round at this stage. No equity dilution terms, warrants, or external institutional investors were disclosed.

BOL-148 is a non-hallucinogenic analog of LSD being developed as a potential short-course therapy capable of producing durable remission in cluster headache. The program builds on preliminary clinical observations from a Harvard Medical School-conducted trial in which patients with chronic cluster headache reported complete and durable responses, as well as Ceruvia's own earlier Phase I safety experience in healthy volunteers.

The integrated study is structured in two parts: a Phase I single ascending dose evaluation in healthy adults followed by a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II proof-of-concept study in cluster headache patients, designed to assess safety, efficacy, dose response, and durability of effect within a single protocol. Ceruvia said it expects to submit a Clinical Trial Application in Germany in September 2026, with first participant enrollment targeted for Q4 2026. Phase I top-line data are expected in Q2 2027. The company said results from this trial will inform the design of a Phase III pivotal study in both the US and EU.

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Beyond BOL-148, Ceruvia's pipeline includes synthetic psilocybin in Phase II development for obsessive-compulsive disorder, following FDA investigational new drug clearance received in June 2022 for a 105-participant controlled trial at Yale University School of Medicine, and a separate Phase II program in smoking cessation. NYPRG-101 is also in Phase I development for alcohol dependence, where its non-hallucinogenic profile may offer a differentiated tolerability advantage over classical psychedelics.

Competitors in the psychedelic-derived neurological therapy space include COMPASS Pathways, which is advancing psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression, and atai Life Sciences, with a broad portfolio of psychedelic-derived compounds across psychiatric indications. Ceruvia's non-hallucinogenic approach to BOL-148 is intended to separate it clinically from hallucinogenic compounds that face greater regulatory and practical barriers to administration.


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