Small Molecule · CVL-751

Tavapadon

Oral, once-daily, highly selective dopamine D1/D5 receptor partial agonist with a non-catechol chemical structure, in development for Parkinson's disease as both monotherapy in early PD and adjunctive therapy to levodopa in advanced PD with motor fluctuations.

Also known as: CVL-751, PF-06649751, tavapadon, 1643489-24-0

Modality
Small molecule
Chemical class
pyrimidine-2,4-dione, diaryl ether, trifluoromethylpyridine
Chemistry
Single enantiomer
Mechanism
D1 receptor Partial agonist
Highest phase
Filed (NDA)
Lead indication
Parkinson's disease
Trials
4 tracked · 416 sites
Next catalyst
FDA decision expected 1H 2026 — Regulatory (Parkinson's disease)

Mechanism of action

Highly selective, oral dopamine D1/D5 receptor partial agonist. Partial agonism (rather than full agonism) at D1/D5 is intended to deliver motor benefit while limiting dyskinesia and the tachyphylaxis seen with full D1 agonists. Non-catechol scaffold with biased Gs-coupled signaling and minimal D1 receptor internalization. No clinically meaningful activity at D2-like receptors (D2/D3/D4 Ki >=4,870 nM).

TargetActionAffinity
D1 receptorprimaryDRD1Partial agonistKi 9 nM
D5 receptorDRD5Partial agonistKi 13 nM

Formulations

FormulationRouteRegimenPharmacokinetics
Tavapadon oral tablet
5-15 mg once daily (Phase 3 TEMPO program: fixed 5 mg or 15 mg in TEMPO-1; flexible 5-15 mg in TEMPO-2/TEMPO-3)
OralOnce dailyt½ 24 h · Tmax 3.5 h

Development timeline

Filed (NDA)Sept 2025 – Jun 2026
  1. UpcomingFDA decision on the tavapadon NDA anticipated in the first half of 2026.
  2. AbbVie submitted the tavapadon NDA to the U.S. FDA for early and advanced Parkinson's disease.
Phase 3Apr 2024 – Dec 2024
  1. metTEMPO-2 (flexible-dose monotherapy, early PD) met primary endpoint: -9.1 point treatment difference on MDS-UPDRS II+III (p<0.0001).
  2. metTEMPO-1 (fixed-dose monotherapy, early PD) met primary endpoint at both 5 mg and 15 mg (p<0.0001 vs placebo).
  3. metTEMPO-3 (adjunctive to levodopa, advanced PD) met primary endpoint: +1.1 h additional ON time without troublesome dyskinesia vs placebo (p<0.0001).

Tavapadon for Parkinson's disease

Filed (NDA)ActiveParkinson's disease indication →

AbbVie submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA on 2025-09-26 for tavapadon across the Parkinson's disease spectrum: monotherapy in early PD and adjunctive therapy to levodopa in advanced PD with motor fluctuations. Filing is supported by the Phase 3 TEMPO program (TEMPO-1, TEMPO-2 monotherapy; TEMPO-3 adjunctive; TEMPO-4 open-label extension), all of which met their endpoints. No public Fast Track/Breakthrough/orphan designation identified, so designations left empty.

Readouts

  • FDA decision expected 1H 2026AnticipatedRegulatory

    FDA decision on the tavapadon NDA anticipated in the first half of 2026.

  • 2025-09-26ReportedRegulatory

    AbbVie submitted the tavapadon NDA to the U.S. FDA for early and advanced Parkinson's disease.

  • 2024-12-09ReportedTopline datametNCT04223193

    TEMPO-2 (flexible-dose monotherapy, early PD) met primary endpoint: -9.1 point treatment difference on MDS-UPDRS II+III (p<0.0001).

  • 2024-09-26ReportedTopline datametNCT04201093

    TEMPO-1 (fixed-dose monotherapy, early PD) met primary endpoint at both 5 mg and 15 mg (p<0.0001 vs placebo).

  • 2024-04-18ReportedTopline datametNCT04542499

    TEMPO-3 (adjunctive to levodopa, advanced PD) met primary endpoint: +1.1 h additional ON time without troublesome dyskinesia vs placebo (p<0.0001).

Clinical trials

NCT04760769TEMPO-4Phase 3Completedn=992

58-Week Open-label Trial of Tavapadon in Parkinson's Disease (TEMPO-4)

Started Feb 2021· Primary completion Dec 2025· 📍 140 sites across 14 countries (United States, Poland, Spain, Italy)

NCT04542499TEMPO-3Phase 3Completedn=507

A Phase 3, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Flexible-Dose, 27-Week Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Tavapadon as Adjunctive Therapy for Parkinson's Disease in Levodopa-Treated Adults With Motor Fluctuations (TEMPO-3)

Started Sept 2020· Primary completion Jan 2024· 📍 146 sites across 14 countries (United States, Poland, Germany, Spain)

metprimaryChange from baseline in total ON time without troublesome dyskinesia at Week 26 (Hauser diary) — +1.1 h vs placebo (tavapadon +1.7 h vs placebo +0.6 h) (<0.0001)

Adjunctive to levodopa in advanced PD with motor fluctuations, tavapadon (5-15 mg QD) increased total ON time without troublesome dyskinesia by a least-squares mean 1.721 h vs 0.619 h for placebo (treatment difference ~1.1 h, p<0.0001).

NCT04223193TEMPO-2Phase 3Completedn=304

A Phase 3, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Flexible-Dose, 27-Week Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Tavapadon in Early Parkinson's Disease (TEMPO-2)

Started Jan 2020· Primary completion Oct 2024· 📍 53 sites across 13 countries (United States, Poland, Italy, Germany)

metprimaryChange from baseline in MDS-UPDRS Parts II + III combined score at Week 26 — -9.1 points (95% CI -11.7 to -6.5) (<0.0001)

Flexible-dose (5-15 mg QD) monotherapy met the primary endpoint: tavapadon -10.3 vs placebo -1.2, treatment difference -9.1 points (p<0.0001).

NCT04201093TEMPO-1Phase 3Completedn=529

A Phase 3, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, 27-Week Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Two Fixed Doses of Tavapadon in Early Parkinson's Disease (TEMPO-1)

Started Dec 2019· Primary completion Jun 2024· 📍 77 sites across 12 countries (United States, Spain, Bulgaria, Germany)

metprimaryChange from baseline in MDS-UPDRS Parts II + III combined score at Week 26 (<0.0001)

Both fixed doses met the primary endpoint: placebo +1.8, tavapadon 5 mg -9.7, tavapadon 15 mg -10.2 (p<0.0001 each dose vs placebo). Fixed-dose monotherapy in early PD.

Identifiers

Sources

  1. AbbVie Announces Positive Topline Results for the Phase 3 TEMPO-2 Trial Evaluating Tavapadon as a Monotherapy for Parkinson's Disease — AbbVie
  2. AbbVie Announces Positive Topline Results from Phase 3 TEMPO-1 Trial Evaluating Tavapadon as a Monotherapy for Parkinson's Disease — AbbVie
  3. AbbVie Submits New Drug Application to U.S. FDA for Tavapadon for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease — AbbVie
  4. Cerevel Therapeutics Announces Positive Topline Results for Tavapadon in Phase 3 Adjunctive Trial for People Living with Parkinson's Disease (TEMPO-3) — Cerevel Therapeutics / AbbVie
  5. Fixed-Dose Trial in Early Parkinson's Disease (PD) — TEMPO-1 — ClinicalTrials.gov
  6. Flexible-Dose Trial in Early Parkinson's Disease (PD) (TEMPO-2) — ClinicalTrials.gov
  7. Flexible-Dose, Adjunctive Therapy Trial in Adults With Parkinson's Disease With Motor Fluctuations (TEMPO-3) — ClinicalTrials.gov
  8. Open-label Trial in Parkinson's Disease (PD) (TEMPO-4) — ClinicalTrials.gov
  9. Rationale and Development of Tavapadon, a D1/D5-Selective Partial Dopamine Agonist for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease — PMC / peer-reviewed journal
  10. Tavapadon - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (citing primary receptor-pharmacology literature)