‘Brutal disaster.’ Allergan’s would-be antidepressant fails patients in four studies

In 2015, Allergan spent $560 million on Naurex, a small biotechnology company that had what appeared to be an important new treatment for depression. Brent Saunders, Allergan’s CEO, called the deal “a compelling and exciting investment,” and said it could help in the most severe, treatment-resistant cases of depression.