Mental health–focused biopharma Atai Life Sciences (Nasdaq:ATAI) recently completed enrollment in a Phase 2a study of PCN-101 (r-ketamine) for treatment-resistant depression.
The company’s Perception Neuroscience division expects top-line results from the trial before the end of 2022.
R-ketamine is an enantiomer of ketamine. Conversely, racemic ketamine is composed of equal amounts of s-ketamine and r-ketamine. We included r-ketamine in our list of emerging antidepressants.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has achieved intellectual property protection for S-ketamine and, in 2019, won FDA approval for s-ketamine for treatment-resistant depression.
The company notes that PCN-101 could be a potentially rapid-acting therapeutic for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) that can be administered at home.
[R-ketamine image courtesy of PubChem]
“We anticipate this therapy to be administered i…