Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson announced Thursday it will discontinue development of aticaprant for major depressive disorder (MDD), dealing a significant blow to what was once considered a promising addition to their drug pipeline.
The company revealed that while the experimental drug demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability profiles, it failed to show sufficient effectiveness in treating patients with difficult-to-manage MDD and moderate-to-severe anhedonia, a condition characterized by the inability to feel pleasure or maintain interest in activities.
Despite this setback, J&J maintains it will explore other potential therapeutic applications for aticaprant in areas with significant unmet medical needs. The company emphasized its ongoing commitment to neuroscience research, pointing to its recent $15 billion acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies, the manufacturer of mental health medication Caplyta.
The development suspension impacts Wall Street projections, with Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger noting that market
expectations had placed aticaprant’s annual revenue potential at approximately $1 billion by 2032. This figure falls considerably short of J&J’s own late 2023 forecast, which had estimated peak annual sales between $1 billion and $5 billion.
The news may complicate J&J’s aspirations to become the leading neuroscience company by 2030, though the pharmaceutical manufacturer maintains a robust pipeline with nearly 20 other novel drug candidates showing blockbuster potential. The company also reaffirmed its medicines division’s projected compound annual growth rate of 5% to 7%, following $57 billion in sales last year.
The announcement had minimal impact on J&J’s stock, which actually rose more than 1% Friday. However, it significantly affected Neumora Therapeutics, a biotech startup developing a similar drug, whose shares declined approximately 5%.
Neumora, which launched in late 2021 with $500 million in backing from prominent venture capital firms including Arch Venture Partners and Polaris Partners, along with Amgen, has faced its own challenges. The company’s stock had already suffered earlier this year when its drug navacaprant failed to outperform placebo in treating
moderate-to-severe MDD.
Both companies’ drugs target kappa opioid receptors, proteins that influence mood, stress, and pain perception. RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams suggested that J&J’s trial termination could eliminate remaining optimism about these drugs’ potential in depression treatment and cast doubt on Neumora’s ongoing studies.
Stifel analyst Paul Matteis downgraded Neumora’s stock to “Hold,” describing J&J’s decision as a “major setback” for kappa opioid receptor-targeting drugs. Neumora’s shares have plummeted more than 90% since its initial public offering, trading at approximately $1.45 per share by late Friday morning.
The development also raises questions about similar drugs in development, including AbbVie’s kappa opioid antagonist, acquired through its Cerevel Therapeutics purchase, which is currently in Phase 1 testing.
Despite these challenges, J&J maintains its position as a leading pharmaceutical company, with its medicines division showing 4% growth from 2023 to 2024. The company’s diverse pipeline and recent strategic acquisitions suggest it remains well-positioned to weather setbacks in individual drug development programs.