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Phase 3 N=444 Randomized Double-blind Treatment

A Study of Aticaprant 10 Milligrams (mg) as Adjunctive Therapy in Adult Participants With MDD With Moderate-to-severe Anhedonia and Inadequate Response to Current Antidepressant Therapy

Depressive Disorder, Major · Anhedonia

Enrolled (actual)
444
Serious AEs
0.2%
Results posted
Jan 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Change From Baseline to Day 43 in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score — -9.4; -10.0 Units on a scale — p==0.670

Study Design & Population

Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Interventions
Aticaprant (Drug); Placebo (Other)
Age
Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
Sex
All
Sponsor
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
Primary completion
Nov 2024

Outcome Measures

OutcomeResultp-value
PRIMARY
Change From Baseline to Day 43 in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score
-9.4; -10.0 =0.670
SECONDARY
Change From Baseline to Day 43 in Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) Total Score
8.2; 8.8
SECONDARY
Change From Baseline Over Time in MADRS Total Score
-4.4; -5.4; -7.5; -8.0; -9.4; -10.0
SECONDARY
Percentage of Participants Who Achieved Response on Depressive Symptoms Scale Based on MADRS Total Score at Day 43
28.3; 27.9
SECONDARY
Percentage of Participants With Remission of Depressive Symptoms Based on MADRS Total Score at Day 43
16.3; 15.8
SECONDARY
Change From Baseline to Day 43 in Patient Health Questionnaire, 9-Item (PHQ-9) Total Score
-5.5; -5.2
SECONDARY
Change From Baseline Over Time in DARS Total Score
3.5; 4.2; 6.9; 7.1; 8.2; 8.8
SECONDARY
Change From Baseline Over Time in the PHQ-9 Anhedonia-specific Item (PHQ-9, Item 1)
-0.4; -0.6; -0.7; -0.8; -0.9; -0.9
SECONDARY
Percentage of Participants With a Score Less Than (<) 2 in the PHQ-9 Anhedonia-specific Item (PHQ-9, Item 1) at Day 43
50.8; 46.3
SECONDARY
Change From Baseline Over Time in Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Short Form - Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities - 8a (PROMIS-APS 8a)
1.4; 1.5; 3.2; 3.1; 3.9; 4.3
SECONDARY
DB Treatment Phase: Percentage of Participants With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs)
38.1; 44.2
SECONDARY
Follow-up (FU) Phase: Percentage of Participants With AEs
0; 5.6

Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of aticaprant compared with placebo as adjunctive therapy to an antidepressant in improving depressive symptoms in adult participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) with moderate to severe anhedonia (ANH+) who have had an inadequate response to current antidepressant therapy with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Be medically stable on the basis of physical examination, medical history, vital signs, and 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) performed at screening and baseline
  • Have a Hamilton depression rating Scale 17 item (HDRS-17) total score of 20 or higher at the first and second screening interviews and must not demonstrate a clinically significant improvement (that is, an improvement of more than 20 percent [%] on their HDRS-17 total score) between the first and the second independent HDRS-17 assessments
  • Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for recurrent or single episode major depressive disorder (MDD), without psychotic features, based upon clinical assessment and confirmed by the structural interview for DSM-5 Axis I disorders-clinical trials version (SCID-CT). Participants 65 years of age or older must have had the first onset of depression prior to 55 years of age
  • Is currently receiving and tolerating well any one of the following selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) for depressive symptoms at screening, in any approved formulation and available in the participating country/territory: citalopram, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, milnacipran, levomilnacipran, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine at a stable dose (at or above the minimum therapeutic dose per Massachusetts General Hospital Antidepressant Treatment Response Questionnaire [MGH-ATRQ] for at least 6 weeks. The current antidepressant cannot be the first antidepressant treatment for the first lifetime episode of depression
  • Participant's current major depressive episode, and antidepressant treatment response in the current depressive episode, must all be confirmed by the Site Independent Qualification Assessment

Exclusion Criteria

  • Have had in the current depressive episode, no response (treatment failure) to 5 or more antidepressant treatments including the current SSRI/SNRI (that is, the one presumed to be continued in the treatment phase) assessed using the MGH-ATRQ
  • Has a history or evidence of clinically meaningful noncompliance with current antidepressant therapy
  • Has a history of moderate-to-severe substance use disorder including alcohol use disorder according to diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-5th edition (DSM-5) criteria within 6 months before screening
  • Has had in the current episode an inadequate response to adequate course of intravenous or intranasal ketamine or esketamine, electroconvulsive therapy (that is, at least 7 treatments), vagal nerve stimulation, or deep brain stimulation device
  • Has current, or a history (past 6 months), of seizures
  • Has a current homicidal ideation/intent, per the investigator's clinical judgment, or has suicidal ideation with some intent to act within 3 months prior to the start of the Screening Phase, per the investigator's clinical judgment or based on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), corresponding to a response of "Yes" on Item 4 (active suicidal ideation with some intent to act, without specific plan) or Item 5 (active suicidal ideation with specific plan and intent), or a history of suicidal behavior within the past 6 months prior to the start of the Screening Phase. Participants reporting suicidal ideation with intent to act or suicidal behavior at baseline should be excluded
  • Has one or more of the following diagnoses: a) A diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-5th edition (DSM-5) diagnosis (which has been the primary focus of psychiatric treatment within the past 2 years) of any of the following: panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder social anxiety disorder, specific phobia; b) A current (in the past year) DSM-5 diagnosis of: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa; c) A current or prior (lifet
View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05550532). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.

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