J&J Halts Phase 3 Depression Program Over Efficacy Concerns

Johnson & Johnson has contributed to the ongoing issues surrounding opioids. Months after Neumora’s phase 3 failure, J&J has halted the development of its competing drug applicant, Aticaprant, as an adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD).

Major Depressive Disorder, also commonly referred to as clinical depression, is a mental health ailment marked by a sustained low mood, diminished interest in activities, and other various symptoms that can profoundly affect daily functioning.

Aticaprant and Navacaprant are oral antagonists of the kappa opioid receptor. Navacaprant did not succeed in a phase 3 MDD trial conducted in January. Earlier this week, Neumora suspended one trial of the contender and put two late-stage studies on hold after evaluating a data set that was even more disappointing than analysts had anticipated, centered on the top-line breakdown.

Neumora has referenced phase 2 aticaprant details to support the effectiveness of its mechanism, suggesting that the unsuccessful trial could be an outlier. The argument faced a setback after the stock market closed on Thursday, as J&J announced the discontinuation of its phase 3 aticaprant program due to inadequate efficacy in the intended patient population.

J&J has not yet given up on Aticaprant. The Big Pharma stated that it would investigate potential future development prospects for Aticaprant in other fields of high untapped potential, noting the fact that the chemical turned out to be safe and well tolerated. The abandoned indicator, on the other hand, was the significant sales possibility in the near future. In this context, J&J predicted that Aticaprant will achieve peak sales of between $1 billion and $5 billion annually by the end of 2023.

During the process of laying out its goal of being the leading neuroscience firm by 2030. In January, Johnson & Johnson took a shortcut toward achieving that objective by signing a contract to acquire Intra-Cellular Therapies for a price of nearly $15 billion. Through the acquisition of Intra-Cellular, Johnson & Johnson will be able to gain ownership of Caplyta, a medication that has achieved phase 3 success in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Wolfe Research expert Alexandria Hammond, Ph.D., questioned the company during an earnings conference in January about whether consumers might anticipate less priority being given to Seltorexant and Aticaprant. H