TAK-653 (Osavampator) 2mg – 60 tablets

TAK-653 (Osavampator, NBI-1065846) 2 mg — 60 research tablets. TAK-653 is the most clinically advanced AMPA-receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) in development: a non-dissociative, non-psychotomimetic glutamate-system molecule that — in published Phase II data — produced ketamine-comparable improvements in treatment-resistant depression without the hallucinogenic, dissociative or addictive liabilities of NMDA antagonists. In healthy human PET, a single oral dose increases cortical AMPA-receptor signaling within hours, providing a clean pharmacological probe of the glutamatergic side of rapid-acting antidepressant pharmacology. The 2 mg per-tablet potency corresponds to the dose range used in the Phase II depression trials.

Research Overview

TAK-653 is a selective, non-desensitizing positive allosteric modulator of the AMPA subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors, the principal mediator of fast excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian brain [1]. Unlike older AMPA-PAMs, it has been engineered to lack the convulsant liability of high-efficacy ampakines while retaining robust enhancement of synaptic AMPA signaling in physiologically relevant ranges. In a placebo-controlled Phase II trial in treatment-resistant depression, eight weeks of daily oral 2–6 mg produced marked, statistically significant separation from placebo on MADRS — comparable in magnitude to the rapid-acting NMDA antagonists, but without the dissociative or transient-psychotomimetic effects that complicate ketamine-class molecules [2]. Human [¹¹C]K-2 PET imaging confirms direct, dose-related occupancy at brain AMPA receptors after a single oral dose [3]. The molecule has now advanced under Neurocrine Biosciences as NBI-1065846 in pivotal trials, and represents the first credible non-NMDA, non-dissociative, rapid-acting antidepressant chemotype.

Primary Research Areas

• AMPA-receptor positive allosteric modulation — the most clinically advanced selective AMPA-PAM available as a research tool; the reference compound for non-desensitizing AMPA signaling research [1].
• Rapid-acting antidepressant mechanisms — Phase II evidence in treatment-resistant depression with magnitude comparable to ketamine-class molecules but without dissociation [2].
• Glutamatergic synaptic plasticity — studied for LTP enhancement, BDNF release and synaptogenesis — the proposed mechanism of rapid antidepressant action [1].
• Cognitive and procognitive research — evaluated in working-memory and executive-function paradigms in healthy human and rodent cohorts [1].
• Translational PET pharmacology — the only AMPA-PAM with confirmed direct human brain receptor occupancy via [¹¹C]K-2 PET [3].

References

1. Hara H, Suzuki H, Itoh A, et al. TAK-653, an AMPA receptor potentiator with minimal agonistic activity, produces antidepressant-like effects with a wide safety margin. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2021;41(3):343–352.
2. O’Gorman C, Khatib R, Mathews M, et al. NBI-1065846/TAK-653 in adults with treatment-resistant depression: results of a Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Presented at: American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2024.
3. Miyazaki T, Nakajima W, Hatano M, et al. Visualization of AMPA receptors in living human brain with positron emission tomography. Nat Med. 2020;26(2):281–288.