Depression, as many of us know, is more than
just a sad or melancholy mood. It’s more than just having “the blues.”
Sometimes it can be a very debilitating condition that can prevent people from
having productive lives – and in some cases can be a root cause of suicide
and/or fatal drug overdoses.
Depression is often considered an imbalance of
certain chemicals in the brain, and is treated through various therapies and
anti-depressant drugs. However, the very serious level of depression – the
living-in-an-abyss type of depression that was behind the recent death of actor
and comedian Robin Williams (also known as Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD) –
has been very difficult to treat effectively. There has been a trade-off with
some therapies – there are some strong anti-depressants in the market, but most
have side effects that can be dangerous in their own right – perhaps more so
than the depression itself. VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: VSTA) is
looking to fill this very important mental-health gap with its own potential
new antidepressant therapy known as AV-101.
VistaGen’s AV-101 has gone through the initial
Phase 1 clinical development focused on human safety and the company is now
working toward a significant Phase 2 clinical trial of AV-101 in collaboration
with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH previously awarded
the company nearly $9 million for its preclinical and Phase 1 development
programs, and the company expects the NIH to sponsor and conduct the impending
Phase 2 efficacy study. VistaGen believes AV-101 is a potential new generation
antidepressant with a novel mechanism of action to address MDD more rapidly and
with fewer and less-severe side effects than other depression therapies
currently being used.
With a successful Phase 2 trial which is
expected to be completed by the end of 2015, there could be some significant
momentum for VistaGen Therapeutics in the mental-health sector, with AV-101 as
a novel potential therapy for MDD and other similar mood disorders that affect
millions of Americans. Robin Williams’ sad and tragic death has brought MDD
more prominently into the forefront, and it will be therapies like AV-101 that
will be watched more readily as mental-health professionals look to encourage
more diagnoses of depression and other mood disorders so they can be treated
early and aggressively. This is an environment for VistaGen Therapeutics to be
in the spotlight.
For more information, visit www.vistagen.com
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