‘brutal disaster. ’ allergan’s would-be antidepressant fails patients in four studies
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In 2015, Allergan spent $560 million on Naurex, a small biotechnology company that had what appeared to be an important new treatment for depression. Brent Saunders, Allergan’s CEO, called
the deal “a compelling and exciting investment,” and said it could help in the most severe, treatment-resistant cases of depression. Not so fast. On Wednesday evening, Allergan announced the
disappointing news that the lead drug from the deal, rapastinel, had failed to improve depression symptoms more than placebo when added to existing antidepressants in not one but three
studies. The drug also appeared likely to fail in a fourth study testing whether it prevented relapses in patients whose depression had abated in the previous three trials, Allergan said.
“Ugh. What a brutal disaster,” said Harry Tracy, president of NI Research, a consultancy that follows neurological drugs. “I’ll be curious about the post-mortem details as they eventually
come out, but there were no slivers of post hoc hope held up to the light. It appears to be just a complete failure.” STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in THIS ARTICLE IS
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