On January 21, 2015, Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. announced that preliminary results from a Phase 1 clinical study showed that treatment with MIN-202, a selective orexin-2 antagonist, resulted in significant improvements in sleep onset and sleep duration in patients with comorbid insomnia related to major depressive disorder (MDD). The company also announced that preliminary results from two additional Phase 1 studies suggest that MIN-202 is well tolerated and possesses advantageous pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic features. The three Phase 1 studies were conducted by Janssen Research & Development, LLC.

The company is developing MIN-202 in collaboration with Janssen. In patients with mood disorders, sleep disturbances (both insomnia and hypersomnia) have been associated with a suboptimal response to antidepressant drug (AD) therapy, an increased risk for relapse (in AD-responsive patients), and prodromal depression. Recent studies have shown that orexin-2 receptor antagonism might have a beneficial effect on overall arousal and stress level.