Depression
Eli Lilly’s $3.8 billion play for AtaiBeckley has fueled speculation that Big Pharma is ready to embrace psychedelics. But while the acquisition does validate the drug class, analysts say it is unlikely to trigger a broad wave of Big Pharma deals.
Psychedelics, chiefly Compass Pathways’ COMP360, are unlikely to make an immediate dent in the sales of Johnson & Johnson’s depression drug Spravato, H.C. Wainwright’s Patrick Trucchio told BioSpace.
Psychedelics are gaining momentum in depression, with one treating physician predicting that the drug class could “wipe out the SSRIs” if safety and durability hold up.
New data from a Phase 3 trial will further support a rolling submission for Compass Pathways’ psilocybin treatment COMP360. Patients who saw a clinically meaningful benefit on depression severity maintained response through week 26.
Results for Definium Therapeutics psychedelic candidate for major depressive disorder “exceeded expectations,” according to Stifel, while Jefferies called the efficacy data “profound.”
Alto Neuroscience is advancing a depression drug based on the dopamine agonist pramipexole, which an independent study has found to help boost feelings of pleasure in patients with mood disorders.
Neumora Therapeutics is laying off 35% of workers after its most advanced asset failed a pair of Phase 3 studies, sending the biotech’s stock spiraling early Monday.
As Q1 earnings arrive, three biotechs have big quarters ahead, with two—Amylyx and Neumora Therapeutics—betting at least partly on novel assets for obesity.
While the FDA did not announce the recipient names of the Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers, the agency’s descriptions of the awarded products match those in development at Compass Pathways, Transcend Therapeutics and Usona Institute.
Psychedelics are a “game changer” in depression care, according to William Blair, but the complicated treatment regimens mean they will likely be supplanted by more-traditional options once they become available.
PRESS RELEASES