J&J cuts neuroscience pipeline, drops seltorexant for Alzheimer's

Johnson and Johnson (J&J) has recently discontinued several clinical programs, notably including a Phase II trial of seltorexant for patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease. The revisions affect several areas within the company’s portfolio, with the greatest impact observed in its neuroscience division. This division has seen the termination of two Phase II programs and one Phase I candidate. The company has not disclosed specific reasons behind its asset prioritisation. However, these changes are now visible on the company's website pipeline list, as initially reported by Endpoints News.

A representative from J&J told Pharmaceutical Technology, “We regularly prioritise programs in our portfolio to ensure sustainable delivery of transformative medicines to patients with unmet needs.” Despite the discontinuations, seltorexant remains one of J&J’s significant neuroscience candidates. This human orexin-2 receptor selective agonist showed promising outcomes in a Phase III trial earlier this year when used as an adjunct treatment to antidepressants in 588 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who also exhibit insomnia symptoms.

The Phase II study that was halted evaluated seltorexant in 70 patients displaying probable Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) along with significant agitation or aggression. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study's status changed from “recruiting” to “completed” on ClinicalTrials.gov in March this year. The discontinuation of this study has cast doubts over J&J's high expectations for seltorexant. Less than a year ago, the company had envisioned seltorexant achieving blockbuster drug status, forecasting peak sales between $1 billion and $5 billion. However, these projections were primarily based on the drug's potential approval for depression rather than Alzheimer’s disease. According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Centre, seltorexant sales are now projected to reach $610 million by 2030.

Other neuroscience projects affected include the Phase I program for Parkinson’s treatment JNJ-0376 and the Phase II P2X7 antagonist JNJ-55308942. J&J has released minimal information on JNJ-0376, which was listed in a 2023 presentation as an early-stage neuroscience target with "novel mechanisms" intended to treat neurodegenerative disorders. Meanwhile, JNJ-55308942 was under investigation in a Phase II trial for patients with bipolar disorder experiencing a major depressive episode. This randomized study enrolled 116 patients and was marked as “completed” in July this year.

Beyond its neuroscience portfolio, J&J also terminated its early-stage psoriasis candidate JNJ-1459. Earlier this year, the company halted trials of the epilepsy drug ADX71149, which was being developed in partnership with Addex Therapeutics, following a Phase II failure.

This streamlining of J&J’s pipeline coincides with the company reporting robust financial results for Q3 of 2024. Sales of their oncology drugs increased by nearly 19%, with Darzalex (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) for multiple myeloma contributing significantly. This immunotherapy drug generated over $3 billion in sales, aiding the company in achieving a 5.2% year-over-year growth.