BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Investors wary on side effect profile despite Phase III efficacy hit for Sage’s zuranolone

The readout shaved more than $800M off Sage’s market cap Tuesday

June 15, 2021 9:51 PM UTC

Sage and partner Biogen showed the efficacy necessary in the Phase III WATERFALL trial to support the two-week treatment profile for zuranolone in major depressive disorder. But the bigger picture that may worry investors is that a higher rate of adverse events points toward a narrow therapeutic window for the molecule. 

Sage Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SAGE) and Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) said Tuesday that a 50 mg dose of zuranolone met the primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms as measured by HAMD-17 at day 15 vs. placebo (p=0.0141). ...