Johnson & Johnson announced Thursday it will discontinue development of aticaprant for major depressive disorder, dealing a significant blow to what was once considered a promising drug candidate with blockbuster potential.
The pharmaceutical giant had been conducting late-stage clinical trials evaluating aticaprant as an supplementary treatment for patients with difficult-to-treat major depressive disorder,
particularly focusing on those experiencing anhedonia – a core symptom characterized by diminished ability to feel pleasure or interest. Despite maintaining a favorable safety profile, the drug failed to demonstrate sufficient effectiveness in the intended patient population.
The company indicated it hasn’t completely abandoned the compound, stating it will explore potential applications in other therapeutic areas with significant unmet medical needs. J&J also emphasized its continued dedication to neuroscience research, pointing to its recent $15 billion acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies, which produces the mental health medication Caplyta.
The setback comes after J&J’s optimistic projections in late 2023, when the company estimated aticaprant could generate annual sales between $1 billion and $5 billion at its peak. Wall Street analysts, including Leerink Partners’ David Risinger, had projected
approximately $1 billion in yearly sales by 2032.
Despite the development halt, J&J maintains its medicines division will achieve a compound annual growth rate of 5% to 7%. The division reported $57 billion in sales last year, representing a 4% increase from 2023.
The news had minimal impact on J&J’s stock, which rose more than 1% on Friday. However, it significantly affected Neumora Therapeutics, a biotech startup developing a similar drug, whose shares declined about 5%. Neumora, which launched in 2021 with $500 million in backing from prominent investors including Arch Venture Partners and Polaris Partners, has already faced challenges with its own kappa opioid receptor blocker, navacaprant, which failed to outperform placebo in a recent late-stage depression trial.
Both aticaprant and navacaprant target kappa opioid receptors, proteins that influence mood, stress response, and pain perception. RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams suggests J&J’s decision could eliminate remaining optimism about these drugs’ potential in depression treatment and cast doubt on Neumora’s ongoing studies.
The impact on Neumora has been particularly severe, with its stock dropping more than 90% since its initial public offering. Stifel analyst Paul Matteis downgraded the company’s stock to “Hold,” describing J&J’s announcement as a “big blow” to the entire class of kappa opioid receptor drugs.
The development also raises questions about similar compounds in development, including AbbVie’s kappa opioid antagonist, acquired through its Cerevel Therapeutics purchase, which is currently in Phase 1 testing.
This setback could potentially complicate J&J’s ambitious goal of becoming the leading neuroscience company by 2030. However, the company’s diverse pipeline includes nearly 20 other novel drug candidates with potential blockbuster status, suggesting the overall impact on J&J’s long-term prospects may be limited.
The discontinuation of aticaprant’s development in depression represents another challenge in the ongoing effort to develop effective treatments for major depressive disorder, an area that has seen multiple setbacks despite significant investment and research efforts by pharmaceutical companies.