Major Depressive Disorder (DSM-V) – Special Topics – Special Topics: Novel Drugs in Psychiatry (US)

Drugs with novel mechanisms of action are needed for the management of psychiatric patients refractory to current therapies (e.g., patients with treatment-resistant depression [TRD], moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), as well as for the psychiatric conditions with no approved treatment options (e.g., cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia [CIAS]). Given the sizeable patient populations and the high unmet need for therapies for these difficult-to-treat psychiatric patients, many drug developers have shifted their focus toward novel drug classes, and some novel drugs have reached late phases of development. Of note, psychedelics are one of the emerging drug classes, and two drugs belonging to this class are in Phase III development (i.e., Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for moderate to severe PTSD and COMPASS Pathways’ COMP360 psilocybin for TRD). Other promising late-phase novel agents include Boehringer Ingelheim’s iclepertin (a glycine transporter-1 inhibitor for CIAS) and Biogen / Sage Therapeutics’ zuranolone (a GABA receptor modulator for the episodic treatment of major depressive disorder [MDD]). These therapies have the potential to disrupt treatment pathways for their respective patient segments in targeted indications.

Questions answered

  • What are psychiatrists’ estimates for patients nonresponsive to current therapies for CIAS, moderate to severe PTSD, or MDD?
  • What are physician-perceived advantages and disadvantages of novel emerging drugs in psychiatry such as iclepertin in CIAS, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in moderate to severe PTSD, zuranolone in MDD, and COMP360 psilocybin in TRD?
  • How do psychiatrists anticipate prescribing (e.g., which line of therapy) these emerging drugs?
  • To what maximum percentage of their patients would psychiatrists prescribe these novel drugs, and what factors will persuade them to prescribe these drugs to more of their patients?
  • What is the physician level of agreement on psychedelic drugs’ potential to manage difficult-to-treat psychiatric conditions?

Product description

Clarivate’s Special Topics reports assess key trends in dynamic disease areas. This report on novel drugs in psychiatry will help drug marketers and developers gain needed insight into psychiatrists’ treatment approaches for nonresponding patients, key limiting factors of their prescribing of therapies, the most important attributes for emerging therapies in select psychiatric conditions, and psychiatrists’ perceptions of select emerging therapies for psychiatric conditions, including CIAS, moderate to severe PTSD, and MDD / TRD.

Content highlights

Geography: United States.

Primary research: Survey of 100 U.S. psychiatrists.

Key drugs covered: Iclepertin (BI 425809), zuranolone (SAGE-217), COMP360 psilocybin, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Key insights provided:

  • Patient characteristics.
  • Physician treatment practices and/or physician insights on medical practice.
  • Most important attributes for emerging therapies.
  • Anticipated use of emerging novel therapies.
  • Physician perception of psychedelic drugs.