J&J to stop studies of depression drug due to low effectiveness

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(Reuters) -Johnson & Johnson will stop late-stage studies of its experimental drug to treat major depressive disorder due to a lack of sufficient efficacy, the drug and medical device maker said on Thursday.

The company was testing its once-daily drug, aticaprant, as an add-on treatment for patients with depression who experience anhedonia, a condition that makes it hard to feel pleasure or interest in activities that were once enjoyable.

Earlier this year, Neumora Therapeutics’ drug failed, in a late-stage trial, to reduce symptoms such as sadness and pessimistic thoughts. The drug, navacaprant, belongs to the same class as J&J’s aticaprant.

J&J had said it will explore opportunities to further develop this drug in other areas of high unmet need.

The company had struck a $14.6 billion deal in January to buy Intra-Cellular Therapies as part of its efforts to boost its presence in the market for brain disease treatments.

J&J is also banking on revenue from newer treatments to drive future growth, as its blockbuster drug Stelara faces competition from cheaper copies.

Under the late-stage development program, four studies on aticaprant were ongoing, and one was completed, as per a government database of clinical studies.

J&J’s nasal spray Spravato is already approved for standalone use in MDD. It also has another treatment, JNJ-5120, for the disease in mid-stage development.

MDD, also known as clinical depression, is a mental health condition that involves persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.

Full analyses from the aticaprant study are underway and will be shared at a future medical meeting, J&J said.

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Krishna Chandra Eluri)