Company presented IND-enabling preclinical data earlier today at the AAST annual meeting

• In an IND-enabling porcine model of acute alcohol intoxication, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 61.3% lower in GOA26-treated animals than in the untreated control group at 20 minutes post-administration.
• GOA26 is advancing toward human studies, with a planned IND submission to the U.S. FDA in Q4 2026.
• There is currently no FDA-approved drug that rapidly lowers BAC in patients with acute alcohol intoxication and poisoning.
  
  

DALLAS, Sept. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GOA Therapeutics Corporation (GOA or the Company) emerged from stealth and presented preclinical findings for GOA26, its lead investigational drug candidate designed to rapidly lower BAC in acute alcohol intoxication and poisoning.

In IND-enabling studies using a porcine model following an oral ethanol dose of 1.2 g/kg, BAC was 61.3% lower in GOA26-treated animals than in the untreated control group at 20 minutes post-administration.

The findings were presented earlier today at the 85th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) & Clinical Congress of Acute Care Surgery in Dallas.

A Significant Unmet Need

Acute alcohol intoxication and poisoning represent a serious, unresolved medical challenge, with devastating consequences for patients and families and a substantial burden on emergency departments and trauma centers. Each year, more than 5 million patients in the United States and more than 30 million globally present to emergency departments with acute alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can suppress breathing, impair protective reflexes and lead to seizures, cardiac arrest, permanent brain damage or death.

GOA26 is being developed to give physicians a direct intervention designed to rapidly lower BAC and sequester acetaldehyde, with the aim of preventing life-threatening complications and improving patient outcomes.

“We are working to eliminate the catastrophic consequences of consuming too much alcohol,” said Andrew Altschuler, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of GOA Therapeutics. “In an alcohol emergency, physicians work to stabilize patients and manage complications while waiting for the body to clear the alcohol. That wait can last many hours, and the stakes are life or death. We founded GOA to change this status quo. We are developing GOA26 to give physicians a rapid intervention designed to eliminate alcohol and its toxic metabolites, with the goal of preventing catastrophic outcomes.”

GOA26 is initially being developed as an intravenous treatment for hospital emergency departments and trauma centers.

A Dual-Action Approach to Alcohol Poisoning

GOA26 combines an engineered enzyme designed to accelerate ethanol metabolism with a chemical scavenger designed to sequester acetaldehyde, the toxic byproduct generated as ethanol is broken down.

“From the outset, we designed GOA26 to remove both alcohol and acetaldehyde from the bloodstream,” said Tami Ehrmann Barr, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of GOA Therapeutics. “Our approach combines an engineered enzyme to accelerate ethanol metabolism with a chemical scavenger to sequester acetaldehyde. The findings presented at AAST provide preclinical proof of concept and mark an important milestone as we work toward human studies.”

Advancing Toward Clinical Studies

With $15.5 million raised to date and more than a decade of stealth research and development, GOA has advanced GOA26 through protein engineering, formulation and manufacturing development, preclinical studies using human tissues and rodent models, toxicology and safety testing, and IND-enabling testing in porcine models. This work has established the scientific, regulatory and manufacturing foundation for GOA26’s clinical development.

GOA plans to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for GOA26 by the end of 2026 and begin human clinical trials in 2027, subject to regulatory clearance.

In the coming weeks and months, GOA will introduce the team behind GOA26 and present new preclinical findings at scientific and medical meetings.

About GOA Therapeutics

GOA Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company developing potential first-in-class drug candidates for significant unmet medical needs. Its lead program, GOA26, is in preclinical development for acute alcohol intoxication and poisoning.

For more information, visit goathera.com and follow GOA on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding GOA Therapeutics Corporation, including statements concerning the development, potential characteristics and potential benefits of GOA26; the Company’s development plans and regulatory activities; the planned timing of an IND submission and initiation of human clinical trials; future scientific presentations; and business objectives. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. GOA26 is an investigational drug candidate in preclinical development and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other regulatory authority. Its safety and efficacy in humans have not been established.