Depressed? Merck's research neuroscientists would have reason to be. The pharma giant bet a fortune over the past decade that a novel compound that blocks a neurotransmitter called "Substance P" would become an effective new treatment for depression-a multibillion-dol-lar global market profitably dominated by Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. Merck bet wrong. Its aspiring antidepressant performed well in early experiments but flunked the phase Ⅲ clinical trials required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Not good.
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