Research Note · Tracker digest

Which existing medicines are being tested for major Depressive Disorder?

Compiled by the Open Source Medicine Foundation from the OSMF Research Tracker · Published · Tracker data refreshes daily

Based on: Major Depressive Disorder — gene targets, candidate compounds and trials, OSMF Research Tracker (DGIdb, Open Targets, ChEMBL, PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov data). Numbers are a snapshot taken 8 October 2026; the tracker page is the live version.

49candidate interventions with trial evidence
14druggable gene targets
14recent registered trials
6already approved medicines

Short answer: as of October 2026, the OSMF Research Tracker lists 49 candidate interventions for major Depressive Disorder that are either approved medicines or have at least one registered clinical trial, built on 14 druggable gene targets, with 14 recent trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. 6 are already approved medicines, for this condition or another one; where the approval is for a different condition, the trial is testing a new use, which is what drug repurposing means. Being in a trial says an intervention is being studied, not that it works; that is what the trial is for.

Which candidates have the most trial activity?

Ranked by the number of registered trials the tracker found. Each trial ID links to the registry entry, where you can read the design, status and sponsor.

Which gene targets are these built on?

The tracker starts from genes with evidence of being druggable in major Depressive Disorder and asks which compounds act on them. Each symbol links to its DGIdb entry, which lists the interacting drugs and the papers behind them: BDNF, CRH, DRD2, FKBP5, GRIN2B, HTR1A, HTR2A, IL6, MAOA, MAOB, NTRK2, SLC6A2, SLC6A3, SLC6A4.

Which trials are registered?

How to read this

Evidence is graded on the tracker page in three tiers: clinical (tested in people), mechanistic (a documented action on the target) and correlative (an association in the literature). Most candidates sit in the lower tiers, and many trials are small or early-phase. The purpose of this list is to show where the research is, with sources, so that patients, clinicians and researchers can look further; it is not a ranking of what to take.

Related on this site

Open the full major Depressive Disorder page on the Research Tracker → ← All research notes

Research information, not medical advice. Decisions about any medicine belong with you and your clinician. The underlying data are open (CC BY 4.0) and refreshed daily; this note was generated from the tracker page on 8 October 2026.

The OSMF Network