Addex Therapeutics publishes potential treatment for opioid use disorder data

Addex Therapeutics announced data showing that administration of a metabotropic glutamate 2, or mGlu2, positive allosteric modulator significantly reduces oxycodone self-administration in preclinical models, supporting a potential role in opioid use disorder. The data were published in Neuropharmacology by Addex and The Scripps Research Institute. The aim of the study was to test whether the mGlu2 receptor positive allosteric modulator ADX106772 could reduce oxycodone self-administration and the conditioned reinstatement of oxycodone seeking without affecting behaviors directed toward a highly palatable non-drug reinforcer. Rats were trained to self-administer oxycodone or sweetened condensed milk for 13 days in the presence of a contextual/discriminative stimulus. Oxycodone, SCM, and the SD were then withheld. Once oxycodone or SCM self-administration was acquired and oxycodone dependence verified, the effect of ADX106772 was tested on oxycodone or SCM self-administration. ADX106772 was found to reduce oxycodone self-administration and conditioned reinstatement without affecting SCM self-administration or conditioned reinstatement. ADX106772 reduced oxycodone taking and seeking but did not affect the motivation for the palatable conventional reinforcer.