Sage's Oral GABA-A Modulator Shows 'Dramatic' Effect On Depression

CEO Jeff Jonas said the rapid and durable response to just two weeks of treatment with SAGE-217 coupled with the oral drug's safety in a short-term Phase II study support first-line use of the novel therapy, but plans for a Phase III depression program are not yet known.

Sage Therapeutics Inc. CEO Jeff Jonas is so impressed with his company's oral depression drug candidate SAGE-217 based on Phase II results reported on Dec. 7 that even without Phase III data to back up the small mid-stage study he's willing to say that the efficacy seen to date supports first-line treatment.

Investors also were enthusiastic, sending the company's stock up 70% to close at $156.27 after Sage reported that patients who were treated with its oral GABA-A receptor modulator had a...

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