Kevin Craig, Chief Medical Officer of AtaiBeckley, discusses the current therapeutic landscape for major depressive disorder and therapeutic advances for this hard-to-treat disease. Major depressive disorder (MDD), or depression, remains one of the most urgent and complex challenges in mental health. More than 300 million people1 worldwide live with the condition, but a substantial proportion of these… Read More
The latest episode of the DDW Highlights Podcast is now available to listen to below. DDW’s Bruno Quinney narrates five key stories of the previous week to keep DDW subscribers up-to-date on the latest industry news. Last week, researchers found an unexpected drug could help treat depression. Elsewhere, a new company is… Read More
News round-up for 16 – 20 February by Bruno Quinney, Content Team at DDW. This week in DDW, an unexpected drug could help treat depression. Elsewhere, a new company is set to advance a cerebral palsy therapy. The top stories: Psychedelic drug could help treat depression … Read More
The psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT) could help treat depression when combined with psychotherapy, The Guardian has reported. According to preliminary results reported in Nature Medicine, a trial involving 34 patients found that psychotherapy combined with DMT caused a reduction in depressive symptoms, even after the… Read More
New research has revealed that structurally novel neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) inhibitors reduce depressive-like behaviour and brain inflammation in mice. For decades, scientists have investigated the NK1R as a potential target for treating major depressive disorder. Early studies suggested promise, but enthusiasm faded after clinical trials of drugs… Read More
A drug used for Parkinson’s disease has been shown to be effective in reducing the symptoms of difficult to treat depression, in a study led by the University of Oxford. In the largest clinical trial to date, pramipexole was found to be substantially more effective than a… Read More
Researchers have discovered new connections between the gut and brain that hold promise for more targeted treatments for depression and anxiety. The findings could also help prevent digestive issues in children by limiting the transmission of antidepressants during pregnancy. The study,… Read More
Alto Neuroscience has initiated a Phase II study to determine the pharmacodynamic effects of ALTO-203 in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, as well as assess its safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. To date, ALTO-203 has demonstrated positive emotional and cognitive effects in healthy participants after a single… Read More
The latest episode of the DDW Highlights podcast is now available to listen to below. DDW’s Megan Thomas narrates five key stories of the week to keep DDW subscribers up-to-date on the latest industry updates. There have been some ground-breaking advances in women’s health this week, with new treatments… Read More
News round-up for 18-22 December by DDW Digital Content Editor Diana Spencer. There have been some ground-breaking advances in women’s health this week, with new treatments for hot flushes and pregnancy sickness, and a discovery that could aid in development of treatments for secondary breast cancer. In… Read More
Results from a Phase II clinical trial indicate that psilocybin may benefit individuals with cancer and major depression. In the study, trial participants treated with psilocybin not only experienced a lessening of depressive symptoms but also spoke highly of the therapy when interviewed at the end… Read More
MIRA Pharmaceuticals and MIRALOGX have formed a new partnership to develop and commercialise oral ketamine analog Ketamir-2, hoping to change the landscape of depressive disorder treatments. Ketamir-2 is a patent-pending compound under investigation to potentially deliver ultra-rapid antidepressant effects as early as four hours after dosing. Read More
Gate Neurosciences has announced positive topline quantitative EEG (qEEG) biomarker and safety results from its Phase I multiple ascending dose study of apimostinel in healthy volunteers. The results demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in qEEG pharmacodynamic biomarkers of NMDA receptor target activation from baseline, compared with subjects… Read More
Phase II interim data for psilocybin analog CYB003 in major depressive disorder (MDD) showed rapid, robust, and clinically significant reduction of depression symptoms. Of the trial participants, 53.3% responded and 20% are in remission (i.e. no longer meeting the clinical definition of depression) after a single… Read More
Over recent months, there have been a number of ground-breaking discoveries in drug discovery for mental health conditions. A new class of antidepressants In July 2023, AlzeCure Pharma published the results of a preclinical study supporting the antidepressive effects ACD856, the first in a new class… Read More
Scientists have discovered the link between gene expression, DNA methylation, and brain structural changes in depression, revealing new potential therapeutic targets. By analysing gene interactions in mice subjected to behavioural tests, the researchers from Korea University Anam Hospital, Konkuk University, and Sahmyook University identified 141 genes… Read More
