Vertero Completes Patient Enrollment in Phase 1b Clinical Study of VT-5006 – an Investigational Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Phase 1b study evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and target engagement of the gut-selective candidate; topline data expected by end of 2026

WOBURN, Mass., Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vertero Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company breaking barriers in neurodegenerative disease treatment, today announced the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase 1b clinical study evaluating VT-5006, a first-in-class, gut-selective small molecule in development for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

“Completing enrollment in our Phase 1b study is an exciting milestone reflecting the defined and urgent unmet need in this community for novel therapeutics that can go beyond symptom management to targeting underlying drivers of disease,” said Becca Senter, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Vertero. “The clean safety profile and activity that we observed across all dose levels in our Phase 1a study were encouraging and directly informed our approach in this patient cohort. We look forward to evaluating these topline data as we define the path forward for the VT-5006 clinical development program.”

VT-5006 is a first-in-class, gut-selective small molecule designed to slow disease onset and progression and preserve quality of life for people with PD. The molecule acts on CsgA, a microbial amyloid that drives the aggregation of alpha-synuclein (⍺Syn) and inflammation that propagates to the brain and provokes PD. By targeting CsgA, VT-5006 aims to reduce this cascade of effects, potentially slowing disease progression while alleviating burdensome symptoms.

Underway at the Centre for Human Drug Research in the Netherlands, the study is evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and target engagement with VT-5006 among 24 individuals at early or moderate stages of PD and who are CsgA positive. Participants are randomized to receive VT-5006 (low dose or high dose) or placebo daily for 28 days.

The study builds upon the Phase 1a study in healthy volunteers completed earlier this year, which found that VT-5006 was well tolerated with no safety signals identified, successfully reaching all target dose levels and demonstrating a favorable pharmacokinetic profile that supported progression into the PD population. Vertero expects to report topline results from the study by the end of 2026, which will guide dose selection and protocol for a larger Phase 2 clinical evaluation. More details on the study can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07310264.

About Vertero

Vertero Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company pioneering science beyond the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases at their source. Vertero’s development pipeline of differentiated therapies targets the peripheral nervous system to delay onset and slow progression of challenging conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. The company's lead program currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial is VT-5006, designed to precisely treat a validated target in the gut that feeds the protein aggregation and inflammation implicated in Parkinson’s disease. The company also has an asset targeting bile acid dysregulation in early development for undisclosed indications. For more information, visit www.vertero.com or follow Vertero on LinkedIn.

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