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depressionDEPRESSION

With CB2202, Geneva Pharma has a candidate with a new mechanism of action for the treatment of depression providing a new avenue for doctors and patients to manage the disease.

Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, depressive disorder, and premenstrual disorders are serious disabling illnesses and may also occur with other serious medical illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Depressive disorders affect approximately one in five Americans. A significant proportion (17%) of the Americans suffer from Major Depressive Disorders (MDD), causing a multi-billion dollar economic burden1. The overall market for antidepressant drugs was valued at US$13.8b by 2011 with a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.1%2.

Pharmacotherapy dominates the medical management of depressive disorders. The first generation of antidepressants was dominated by tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Newer treatments include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and other second-generation drugs followed which have comparable efficacy and comparable or better side effect profiles3. However, these drugs are limited by low efficacy and slowness of action. Clinical trials in research settings with selected patient populations typically indicated response and remission rates of 60% and 40%, respectively.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) presents major challenges for both patients and clinicians. Despite an increasing variety of choices for the treatment of TRD, this condition remains universally undefined and represents an area of unmet medical need.

  1.  Olchanski, N., et al. The Economic Burden of Treatment-Resistant Depression. Clin Therapeutics 35 (4): 512–522, 2003.
  2. Allied Market Research Report. Antidepressant Drugs Market by Depressive Disorder (Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Others) and Product (Tricyclic Antidepressants, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, Serotonin Antagonist and Reuptake Inhibitors, and Others) – Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023. Published Jan 2018.
  3. Williams JW, et al. A systematic review of newer pharmacotherapies for depression in adults: evidence report summary. Ann Int Med 132(9):743-756, 2000.