Story perspectives

New Antidepressant Shows Promise for Genetic TRD Patients

11/1/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Liafensine, an antidepressant developed for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), showed significant improvement after six weeks in a randomized study of 189 TRD patients with an ANK3 gene variation.
Both 1 mg and 2 mg doses were effective in the study.
Earlier trials found Liafensine did not outperform placebo in the overall TRD population.
The ANK3 gene variation correlated with a positive response in about 20% of TRD patients.
This finding suggests a biomarker for targeted treatment in TRD.

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Story summary

Liafensine, an antidepressant developed for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), showed significant improvement after six weeks in a randomized study of 189 TRD patients with an ANK3 gene variation.
Both 1 mg and 2 mg doses were effective in the study.
Earlier trials found Liafensine did not outperform placebo in the overall TRD population.
The ANK3 gene variation correlated with a positive response in about 20% of TRD patients.
This finding suggests a biomarker for targeted treatment in TRD.