Nasal spray could ease stage fright for social anxiety sufferers
NCT ID NCT04754802
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This Phase 3 trial tested whether a low-dose nasal spray called PH94B can quickly reduce anxiety in adults with social anxiety disorder when they have to speak in public. 224 participants used the spray or a placebo 20 minutes before a short speech and rated their distress. The study aims to see if PH94B offers a fast, non-sedating option for managing acute anxiety in stressful social situations.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- PH94B nasal spray
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a fast-acting, on-demand treatment for anxiety during stressful situations like public speaking for people with social anxiety disorder.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed Phase 3 trial, but results are not yet published. The effect may be modest or no better than placebo, and the spray only targets acute episodes, not the underlying disorder.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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224 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2021
- Finished
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Jun 2022
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Written informed consent provided prior to conducting any study-specific assessment. 2. Male or female adult, 18 through 65 years of age, inclusive. 3. Current diagnosis of SAD as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, as confirmed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). 4. Clinician-rated Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score ≥70 at Screening (Visit 1). 5. Clinician-rated Hamilton Depression Score 17-items total score \<18 at Screening (Visit 1). 6. Women of child bearing-potential must be able to commit to the consistent and correct use of an effective method of birth control throughout the study, and must also have a negative urine pregnancy test result at both Screening (Visit 1) and Baseline (Visit 2), prior to IP administration. Effective methods of contraception include: condoms with spermicide, diaphragm with spermicide, hormonal contraceptive agents (oral, transdermal, or injectable), or implantable contraceptive devices. 7. Negative COVID-19 test either in the presence of COVID-19 symptoms or after direct exposure to someone with a positive COVID-19 test. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any history of bipolar disorder (I or II), schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychosis, anorexia or bulimia, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Any other current Axis I disorder, other than SAD, which is the primary focus of treatment. Note that subjects with concurrent Generalized Anxiety Disorder are eligible for the study provided that Generalized Anxiety Disorder is not the primary diagnosis. 2. Subjects who meet criteria for moderate or severe alcohol or substance use disorder within the 1 year prior to Study entry. 3. In the opinion of the investigator, the subject has a significant risk for suicidal behavior during the course of their participation in the study, or considered to be an imminent danger to themselves or others. 4. Clinically significant nasal pathology or history of significant nasal trauma, nasal surgery, anosmia, or nasal septum perforation that may have damaged the nasal chemosensory epithelium. 5. An acute or chronic condition, including an infectious illness, uncontrolled seasonal allergies at the time of the study, or significant nasal congestion that potentially could affect drug delivery to the nasal chemosensory epithelium. 6. Two or more documented failed treatment trials with a registered medication approved for SAD, taken at any time during the lifetime of the patient, whereby an adequate treatment trial is defined as that documented in the package insert for a particular drug during which the subject received an adequate medication dosage (defined as the treatment dose indicated in the package insert to obtain efficacy for that particular drug). 7. Use of any psychotropic medication within 30 days before Study entry (other than allowed medication for insomnia. 8. Concomitant use of any anxiolytics, such as benzodiazepines or unapproved treatments such as beta blockers, during the Study and within 30 days before Study entry. 9. Concomitant use of any over-the-counter, prescription product, or herbal preparation for treatment of the symptoms of anxiety or social anxiety during the Study and within 30 days before Study entry. 10. Prior participation in a clinical trial involving PH94B. 11. Women who have a positive serum or urine pregnancy test prior to IP administration. 12. Subjects with clinically significant abnormalities in hematology, blood chemistry, urinalysis, electrocardiogram, or physical examination identified at the Screening visit or Baseline visit that in the clinical judgment of the Investigator, could place the subject at undue risk, interfere with study participation, or confound the results of the study. 13. Subjects with a positive urine drug screen at either the Screening visit or Baseline visit (not including tetrahydrocannabinol). 14. Any current clinically significant and/or uncontrolled medical condition, based on medical history or as evidenced in screening assessments, such as SARS-Cov-2, HIV, cancer, stroke, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or any other medical condition or disease that, in the clinical judgment of the Investigator, could place the subject at undue risk, interfere with Study participation, or confound the results of the Study. 15. History of cancer or malignant tumor not in remission for at least 2 years. Basal cell skin cancers are not exclusionary.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Los Angeles, California, 90024, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Orange, California, 92868, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Riverside, California, 92503, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
San Diego, California, 92103, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
San Jose, California, 95124, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Sherman Oaks, California, 91403, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Jacksonville, Florida, 32256, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Orlando, Florida, 32801, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Tampa, Florida, 33614, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Chicago, Illinois, 60640, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Watertown, Massachusetts, 02472, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Princeton, New Jersey, 08540, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
New York, New York, 10128, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73106, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Allentown, Pennsylvania, 18104, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Media, Pennsylvania, 19063, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Woodstock, Vermont, 05091, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Site
Bellevue, Washington, 98007, United States
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VistaGen Clinical Sites
Fort Myers, Florida, 33912, United States
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