Depression and anxiety The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the global burden of mental health disorders. In the US, rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder have all risen following the pandemic.
While drugs developed to treat mental health illnesses have a statistically lower chance of progressing from clinical trials to approval, biotechnology companies have not been put off. According to a recent report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America , 163 medicines targeting mental illness are currently in the clinic or awaiting FDA review. Biotech companies are poised to make a difference in this sector, with many existing to tackle mental health illnesses.
Schizophrenia In August 2022, Karuna reported positive results from its phase 3 EMERGENT-2 trial for KarXT as a therapy for schizophrenia. In March 2023, a late-stage readout from the EMERGENT-3 trial demonstrated an 8.4-point greater reduction on positive and negative syndrome scale in adults with schizophrenia taking KarXT compared with a placebo. The study also demonstrated a 3.
Breakthrough Economy: How Biotech is Transforming Mental Health and Neurological DisordersPlay Many of the compounds under investigation by atai Life Sciences are psychedelic drugs; however, it also recently acquired the majority stake in Psyber, a digital therapeutics firm, allowing them to launch its own digital platform.