Development of New Psychopharmacological Agents for Depression and Anxiety

Antidepressant and anxiolytic drug development has largely stalled. This article reviews novel current programs for developing depressants and anxiolytics. Biological bases are discussed for these, as are recent results. Problems encountered are reviewed. Recently announced failed programs for other antidepressants are then discussed with an eye toward uncovering possible common elements that may explain their failures. Lastly, possible solutions for improving the likelihood of the success of antidepressant/anxiolytic agents are discussed.