An Exclusive Interview with Jamileh Jemison
Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development, MindMed
Building on the momentum from Cobenfy’s success, how has the psychiatric drug development landscape evolved over the past 6 to 12 months, and what is the current state of play?
Over the past year, we’ve seen a resurgence of interest in psychiatry, driven by a growing recognition of the urgent need for novel, more effective and safe treatments.
At MindMed, we’re proud to be at the forefront of this next wave of neuropsychiatric innovation. Our late-stage clinical research is focused on transforming care for two of the most prevalent and debilitating brain health disorders: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). We aspire to deliver truly transformative treatments that have the potential to change the trajectory of the ongoing mental health epidemic
From new targets to emerging technologies, where are the most exciting areas of innovation?
Some of the most promising innovations are at the intersection of biology, technology, and patient experience. Advances in brain imaging, digital biomarkers, and translational neuroscience enable us to better understand psychiatric diseases and how our interventions may work.
But the most powerful innovation may be the renewed attention itself. GAD and MDD affect more than 50 million adults in the U.S. alone—yet treatment success remains elusive for far too many. For example, GAD affects approximately 20 million adults, yet 50% of patients fail to find relief with existing treatments. MDD, often comorbid with GAD, is one of the most common mood disorders and impacts over 31 million adults each year. We have the opportunity to potentially reduce the suffering of millions of people while addressing two of the most significant unmet medical needs in psychiatry.
Over time, psychiatry has become one of the most neglected areas in drug development. It’s encouraging to see multiple disciplines—from basic science to digital health—converging to confront the mental health epidemic with urgency and innovation.
Which specific challenges are you looking forward to addressing with colleagues at the Neuropsychiatric Drug Development Summit in order to collaboratively propel advancements?
The Summit provides a rare and valuable forum to work through some of the field’s most persistent challenges together. I’m particularly looking forward to discussing how we can optimize participant selection to ensure clinical trials reflect real-world patients; ways to refine clinical endpoints so they better capture meaningful change; and strategies for navigating an increasingly complex and evolving regulatory landscape.
Collaboration is critical in moving this field forward, and I’m energized by the chance to problem-solve alongside other leaders in neuropsychiatric drug development
Which sessions in the agenda are you most looking forward to at the 8th Neuropsychiatric Drug Development Summit?
I’m especially excited to join the Workshop Day, which always fosters open dialogue and idea sharing. I’m also looking forward to the sessions in the Translational and Clinical track, particularly Implementing Initiatives into Clinical Trial Execution to Minimize Placebo Effects in Psychiatric Drug Development and Beyond DSM: Innovating a Symptom Domain-Based Biomarker Approach to Translate More Precise Targets into Early Clinical Development. And, of course, I’m looking forward to the less formal networking opportunities—those conversations often spark the biggest ideas
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