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NCT05227118

MK-8189 Safety and Tolerability in Participants With Alzheimer's Disease With or Without Symptoms of Agitation-Aggression and/or Psychosis (MK-8189-017)

Completed Phase 1 Results posted Last updated 25 September 2024
What this trial tests

Phase 1 trial testing MK-8189 in Alzheimer's Disease in 29 participants. Completed in 10 January 2023.

Timeline
1 July 2022
Primary endpoint
10 January 2023
10 January 2023

Quick facts

Lead sponsorMerck Sharp & Dohme LLC
PhasePhase 1
StatusCompleted
Study typeINTERVENTIONAL
Allocationrandomized
Designparallel
Maskingtriple
Primary purposetreatment
Enrollment29
Start date1 July 2022
Primary completion10 January 2023
Estimated completion10 January 2023
Sites8 locations across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

Conditions studied

Sponsor

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC — full company profile →

Who can join

Adults 65 to 85, any sex, with Alzheimer's Disease. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Number of Participants Who Experienced an Adverse Event (AE) Primary · Up to approximately 42 days

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) temporally associated with the use of a study intervention. Results are reported according to dose.

GroupValue95% CI
MK-8189 8 mg3
MK-8189 16 mg8
MK-8189 24 mg5
Placebo1
Number of Participants Discontinuing From Study Therapy Due to AE Primary · Up to approximately 42 days

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. An AE can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease (new or exacerbated) temporally associated with the use of a study intervention. Results are reported according to dose.

GroupValue95% CI
MK-8189 8 mg1
MK-8189 16 mg0
MK-8189 24 mg0
Placebo0

Adverse events — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Time frame: Up to approximately 42 days. Reporting threshold: 0%. Adverse-event reports describe events observed during the trial — not all are caused by the drug.

MK-8189 8 mg
Serious: 0/22 (0%)
Deaths: 0/22
MK-8189 16 mg
Serious: 1/22 (5%)
Deaths: 0/22
MK-8189 24 mg
Serious: 0/14 (0%)
Deaths: 0/14
Placebo
Serious: 0/7 (0%)
Deaths: 0/7

Serious adverse events (2 terms)

ReactionSystemMK-8189 8 mgMK-8189 16 mgMK-8189 24 mgPlacebo
Intestinal obstructionGastrointestinal disorders
Intestinal pseudo-obstructionGastrointestinal disorders
Other adverse events (17 terms — click to expand)

ReactionSystemMK-8189 8 mgMK-8189 16 mgMK-8189 24 mgPlacebo
DiarrhoeaGastrointestinal disorders
InsomniaPsychiatric disorders
PalpitationsCardiac disorders
DyspepsiaGastrointestinal disorders
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders
Salivary hypersecretionGastrointestinal disorders
Blood potassium increasedInvestigations
CostochondritisMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Muscle spasmsMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Neck painMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
DizzinessNervous system disorders
Electric shock sensationNervous system disorders
PresyncopeNervous system disorders
SomnolenceNervous system disorders
Micturition urgencyRenal and urinary disorders
ContusionInjury, poisoning and procedural complications
FallInjury, poisoning and procedural complications

Most-reported serious reactions: Intestinal obstruction, Intestinal pseudo-obstruction.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05227118 adverse events section.

Sponsor's own description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of multiple ascending doses of MK-8189 in participants with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) with or without symptoms of agitation-aggression and/or psychosis.

Publications & conference data

4 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

  1. Alzheimer's disease drug development pipeline: 2023.
    Cummings J, Zhou Y, Lee G, Zhong K, et al · · 2023 · cited 326× · PMID 37251912 · DOI 10.1002/trc2.12385
  2. Recent developments of phosphodiesterase inhibitors: Clinical trials, emerging indications and novel molecules.
    Bondarev AD, Attwood MM, Jonsson J, Chubarev VN, et al · · 2022 · cited 52× · PMID 36506513 · DOI 10.3389/fphar.2022.1057083
  3. Recent advancements in the therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease treatment: current and future perspective.
    Sharma A, Rudrawar S, Bharate SB, Jadhav HR. · · 2025 · cited 14× · PMID 39790124 · DOI 10.1039/d4md00630e
  4. Emerging Pharmacological Approaches for Psychosis and Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease.
    Imbimbo C, Cotta Ramusino M, Leone S, Mazzacane F, et al · · 2025 · cited 10× · PMID 39623197 · DOI 10.1007/s40263-024-01133-9

Verify or expand the search:

Other trials of MK-8189

Trials testing the same drug.

Other recruiting trials for Alzheimer's Disease

Currently open trials in the same condition.

Other Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC trials

Trials by the same sponsor.

Verify against primary sources

Data sources for this page

Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT05227118.

Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing