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Biohaven Shares Plunge 16% After Depression Drug Fails Key Trial

MarketDash Editorial Team
19 hours ago
Biohaven's stock tumbled in after-hours trading Wednesday following disappointing Phase 2 results for its depression drug candidate, prompting the company to consider a strategic pivot away from psychiatric research.

Biohaven Ltd. (BHVN) had a rough Wednesday evening, with shares dropping 16.19% to $9.06 in after-hours trading. The culprit? The company's Phase 2 depression drug trial just missed its primary endpoint, and when you're betting on brain chemistry, misses like this sting.

The stock had closed the regular session at $10.81, up 2.95%, which makes the after-hours drop feel even more dramatic.

When Your Depression Drug Doesn't Beat Sugar Pills

Biohaven announced that BHV-7000, an investigational treatment for major depressive disorder, failed to demonstrate a meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms compared to placebo over six weeks. The company measured this using the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, which is the standard way researchers track whether antidepressants actually work.

There's a silver lining buried in the data, though. According to Biohaven, trends favoring BHV-7000 emerged in subgroups with more severe depression at both screening and baseline, across primary and secondary outcome measures. Translation: the drug might actually help people who are really struggling, even if it doesn't move the needle for everyone.

At Least Nobody Got Hurt

On the safety front, BHV-7000 was well-tolerated with mostly mild adverse events. Headache showed up in 10.7% of patients taking BHV-7000 versus 9.9% on placebo, while nausea occurred in 4.2% and 5.6%, respectively. Those numbers are pretty close to placebo, which tells you the drug isn't causing much trouble even if it's not delivering the therapeutic punch researchers hoped for.

Time for a Strategic Pivot

"The results do not support the efficacy of BHV-7000 in a broad population of depressed patients," said Dr. Ahmed Tahseen, Development Lead for Depression at Biohaven. That's about as direct as corporate speak gets.

The company is now considering halting psychiatric trials altogether and redirecting resources toward immunology, obesity, and epilepsy programs in 2026. When your depression program stumbles, pivoting to areas where you might have better odds makes sense, even if it's a painful decision.

Management plans to present clinical program updates at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January, including data on extracellular degrader programs and its Phase 2b obesity study. Investors will be watching closely to see if these other pipeline candidates can restore some faith.

The Technical Picture Isn't Pretty

Biohaven currently has a relative strength index of 50.35, a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, and a 52-week trading range of $7.48 to $44.28. Yes, that means shares were trading near $44 less than a year ago.

Over the past 12 months, Biohaven has dropped 70.32%, highlighting significant long-term weakness and challenges in regaining momentum. The stock is currently trading about 9.1% above its 52-week low, which suggests it's hovering near the bottom with limited buying interest and potential for further downside if the strategic pivot doesn't gain traction quickly.

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Biohaven Shares Plunge 16% After Depression Drug Fails Key Trial

MarketDash Editorial Team
19 hours ago
Biohaven's stock tumbled in after-hours trading Wednesday following disappointing Phase 2 results for its depression drug candidate, prompting the company to consider a strategic pivot away from psychiatric research.

Biohaven Ltd. (BHVN) had a rough Wednesday evening, with shares dropping 16.19% to $9.06 in after-hours trading. The culprit? The company's Phase 2 depression drug trial just missed its primary endpoint, and when you're betting on brain chemistry, misses like this sting.

The stock had closed the regular session at $10.81, up 2.95%, which makes the after-hours drop feel even more dramatic.

When Your Depression Drug Doesn't Beat Sugar Pills

Biohaven announced that BHV-7000, an investigational treatment for major depressive disorder, failed to demonstrate a meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms compared to placebo over six weeks. The company measured this using the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, which is the standard way researchers track whether antidepressants actually work.

There's a silver lining buried in the data, though. According to Biohaven, trends favoring BHV-7000 emerged in subgroups with more severe depression at both screening and baseline, across primary and secondary outcome measures. Translation: the drug might actually help people who are really struggling, even if it doesn't move the needle for everyone.

At Least Nobody Got Hurt

On the safety front, BHV-7000 was well-tolerated with mostly mild adverse events. Headache showed up in 10.7% of patients taking BHV-7000 versus 9.9% on placebo, while nausea occurred in 4.2% and 5.6%, respectively. Those numbers are pretty close to placebo, which tells you the drug isn't causing much trouble even if it's not delivering the therapeutic punch researchers hoped for.

Time for a Strategic Pivot

"The results do not support the efficacy of BHV-7000 in a broad population of depressed patients," said Dr. Ahmed Tahseen, Development Lead for Depression at Biohaven. That's about as direct as corporate speak gets.

The company is now considering halting psychiatric trials altogether and redirecting resources toward immunology, obesity, and epilepsy programs in 2026. When your depression program stumbles, pivoting to areas where you might have better odds makes sense, even if it's a painful decision.

Management plans to present clinical program updates at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January, including data on extracellular degrader programs and its Phase 2b obesity study. Investors will be watching closely to see if these other pipeline candidates can restore some faith.

The Technical Picture Isn't Pretty

Biohaven currently has a relative strength index of 50.35, a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, and a 52-week trading range of $7.48 to $44.28. Yes, that means shares were trading near $44 less than a year ago.

Over the past 12 months, Biohaven has dropped 70.32%, highlighting significant long-term weakness and challenges in regaining momentum. The stock is currently trading about 9.1% above its 52-week low, which suggests it's hovering near the bottom with limited buying interest and potential for further downside if the strategic pivot doesn't gain traction quickly.