cvl-936

CVL-936 is a selective dopamine D3-preferring, D2/D3 receptor antagonist that was in clinical development for the treatment of substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. The drug was designed to selectively block dopamine binding at D3 receptors in the brain’s reward center while reducing, but not fully inhibiting, signaling at D2 receptors. This mechanism aimed to help rebalance dysregulation in the brain’s reward system associated with addiction and potentially aid in preventing relapse across various drugs of abuse. CVL-936 was developed as an orally administered small molecule and represented a potential first-in-class therapy for substance use disorders. The compound originated from Pfizer and was further developed by Cerevel Therapeutics (later acquired by AbbVie). Clinical development included Phase 1 trials; however, development for substance-related disorders has been discontinued[1][2][5].