Targacept Launching Trial for Major Depressive Disorder

Targacept has begun a Phase IIb trial of TC-5214 to augment therapy in subjects with major depressive disorder.

The trial will include two phases. In the first phase, roughly 560 subjects will receive citalopram hydrobromide, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, for eight weeks to determine the extent of a therapeutic response.

Subjects who have not responded well, based on predefined criteria, will be randomized into the double-blind second phase of the trial. They will receive either TC-5214 or placebo, together with continued citalopram therapy, for an additional eight weeks.

The trial will be conducted at sites in the U.S. and India, Targacept said.