Clinical depression, also known as major depressive disorder (MDD), is a chronic mental health condition characterized by a persistent low or depressed mood and a loss of interest in activities that once brought joy to those impacted. MDD can also affect sleep, appetite and the ability to think clearly. People with MDD often experience a decline in their quality of life due to the disorder itself, as well as related medical comorbidities and social factors. Despite the widespread and growing use of antidepressant therapies, most patients do not achieve the desired outcome.
There is a serious unmet medical need, with 320 million1 people suffering from MDD worldwide. Currently available treatments lack efficacy, have high non-response rates, and often cause strong side effects. The mental health patient community has suffered from a one-size-fits-all treatment approach, highlighting the need for more effective and durable personalized MDD interventions that consider each person’s genetic makeup.
Decades of research have shown that overactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is involved in the pathophysiology of depression in a subset of patients. This subgroup of MDD patients with an affected stress system does not respond optimally to current treatment options.
1Source: WHO