A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of the antidepressant efficacy of a novel CNS-penetrant P2X7 receptor antagonist, JNJ-54175446, in people with major depressive disorder, an incomplete response to monoaminergic antidepressant drugs, and a biomarker profile predictive of active P2X7 signalling | C4C

About a third of patients remain depressed despite treatment with standard antidepressant treatment; based on growing evidence that inflammation can cause depressive symptoms, we aim to test whether anti-inflammatory drugs could have antidepressant effects using a new drug, JNJ-54175446, which blocks the activity of a receptor called P2X7 (plays a key role in the release of inflammatory molecules during stress, which may be linked to stress-related depression). The research team will recruit approximately 142 participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) with moderate-severe depression despite current treatment, who will be randomly allocated to receive either 50mg/day of JNJ-54175446 or placebo for 8 weeks.