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Major Depressive Disorder clinical trials
109 of 283 indexed Major Depressive Disorder trials are currently recruiting.
283 US clinical trials · 109 currently recruiting
Major Depressive Disorder is the subject of 283 registered US clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, 109 of them currently open to new participants. 74 are in Phase 3-4 (later-stage) and 81 in Phase 1-2 (earlier-stage). The most active sponsor is Massachusetts General Hospital, running 19 of these trials.
The research picture
Major Depressive Disorder has 283 registered US clinical trials, 109 of them open to new participants right now, about 39% of the total.
- 109
- recruiting participants now
- 39%
- of trials open to enrollment
- 74
- in Phase 3–4 (later-stage)
- 19
- top sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital
Active & Recent Trials
283 total, page 3 of 6
Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor (SGLT2) in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
NYU Langone Health
NCT05757791
Neurobehavioral Therapy For Epilepsy And Major Depressive Disorder
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
NCT06695767
Acceptability and Feasibility of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for Depression in Multiple Sclerosis
University of Utah
NCT06329414
DBS for Depression
Baylor College of Medicine
NCT03437928
Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation for Major Depression
Andrew Krystal
NCT04004169
Invasive Decoding and Stimulation of Altered Reward Computations in Depression Patients
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
NCT05239780
Pilot Study of Personalized Aperiodic Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation in Antenatal Depression (PandA-tACS)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
NCT06979154
DBS for TRD With the Medtronic Percept PC
Helen Mayberg, MD
NCT05773755
Behavioral and Neuronal Correlates of Human Mood States
Stanford University
NCT06159595
Appalachian Mind Health Initiative
University of South Florida
NCT04120285
Open Label Optimization Study
Magnus Medical
NCT05819021
Self-guided Treatment for Depression
Big Health
NCT06028984
Using mHealth to Improve Adherence and Reduce Blood Pressure in Individuals With Hypertension and Mood Disorders
Case Western Reserve University
NCT04675593
Fisher Wallace Neurostimulation & Depression Study
ProofPilot
NCT04541563
A Phase 3 Trial of MM120 for Major Depressive Disorder (Emerge)
Definium Therapeutics US
NCT06941844
Unobtrusive Monitoring of Affective Symptoms and Cognition Using Keyboard Dynamics (UnMASCK)
University of Illinois at Chicago
NCT04358900
Imaging mGluR5 and Synaptic Density in Psychiatric Disorders
Yale University
NCT03898297
A Phase II, Multicentre, Randomised, Double-blind, Controlled Study to Investigate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of COMP360 in Participants With Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder
COMPASS Pathways
NCT05733546
Psilocybin Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder With Co-occurring Alcohol Use Disorder
Johns Hopkins University
NCT04620759
Predictors of Cognitive Outcomes in Geriatric Depression
David Steffens
NCT05273996
Impact of Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation on Stress Response in Major Depression
Massachusetts General Hospital
NCT04448327
Opiate Suicide Study in Patients With Major Depression
Stanford University
NCT04116528
Mechanism of Action of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Massachusetts General Hospital
NCT04278521
Individualized (fMRI-guided) TMS Treatment for Depression
University of Pennsylvania
NCT06266390
The Effect of Celecoxib on Neuroinflammation in MDD
Stony Brook University
NCT04814355
Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression
University of Colorado, Denver
NCT06230757
Tracking Brain Biomarkers and Renormalization Associated With Antidepressant Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy
Medical University of South Carolina
NCT06043401
Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment Resistant Depression
Emory University
NCT00367003
Effects of Intravenous (IV) Citalopram Hydrochloride During Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
University of California, Los Angeles
NCT04846829
Fixed Order, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation Study of DMT in Humans
Yale University
NCT04711915
EMA-Guided Maintenance TMS for Depression
Butler Hospital
NCT06145594
Individualized Targeting and Neuromodulation of Late-Life Depression
University of New Mexi
NCT04543773
Ketamine-Assisted Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A Pilot Study
Ohio State University
NCT05950711
Psilocybin - Induced Neuroplasticity in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
Yale University
NCT03554174
Ketamine Associated ACC GABA and Glutamate Change and Depression Remission:
Mayo Clinic
NCT03573349
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for Treatment Resistant Depression
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
NCT02046330
Testing a Transdiagnostic TMS Treatment Target
Brigham and Women's Hospital
NCT06282146
DBS for TRD With the Medtronic Summit RC+S
Helen Mayberg, MD
NCT04106466
Transcranial Electric Stimulation Therapy (TEST) for Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
NCT05172271
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Sequential Parallel Study of CERC-301 in the Adjunctive Treatment of Subjects With Severe Depression and Recent Active Suicidal Ideation Despite Antidepressant Treatment
Avalo Therapeutics
NCT01941043
A Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety & Tolerability of Brexpiprazole in the Maintenance Treatment of Adults With Major Depressive Disorder
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization
NCT03538691
Efficacy and Safety Study of SPD489 in Combination With an Antidepressant in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depressive Disorder
Shire
NCT01436162
Escitalopram in Adult Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
Forest Laboratories
NCT00668525
Open-Label Safety Study of AXS-05 in Subjects With Depression
Axsome Therapeutics
NCT04039022
Safety Study of F2695 SR in Major Depressive Disorder
Forest Laboratories
NCT01034267
An Open-label Study of Lumateperone as Adjunctive Therapy in the Treatment of Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
Intra-Cellular Therapies
NCT05061719
Study of the Safety and Efficacy of OPC-34712 as Adjunctive Therapy in the Treatment of Adults With Major Depressive Disorder
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization
NCT01052077
The Objective of This Study is to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Cariprazine as an Adjunctive Treatment to Antidepressant Therapy (ADT) in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Who Have Had an Inadequate Response to Antidepressants Alone
AbbVie
NCT03739203
Optimizing Outcomes of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Older Adults
Washington University School of Medicine
NCT02960763
Relapse-Prevention Study With Levomilnacipran ER (F2695 SR) in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
Forest Laboratories
NCT01085812
Phase Distribution
| Phase | Trial count |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 24 |
| Phase 2 | 57 |
| Phase 3 | 45 |
| Phase 4 | 29 |
Top Sponsors
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, National Library of Medicine. Data is informational only.
Reading the Major Depressive Disorder Trial Landscape
283 indexed Major Depressive Disorder studies · 109 recruiting (39%).
Phase mix: 74 late (III/IV) vs 81 early (I/II).
Top sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital (19 trials), 9 others listed. 50 shown below, recruiting first.
How to read this condition's trial landscape
That ratio is a useful proxy for activity level: a high share of recruiting studies often signals that research interest is current and that new enrollment opportunities are appearing, while a low share typically means the field is dominated by completed or follow-up work where most participant spots have already been filled. These counts reflect the public registry only and include studies at every stage of design, so they should be read as an index of research attention rather than as a measure of treatment availability.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies focus on early safety signals, dosing, and preliminary effect, while Phase 3 studies are typically the larger efficacy and safety trials submitted toward regulatory review, and Phase 4 studies follow approved interventions in real-world use. A condition weighted toward later phases often reflects a mature research pipeline with several interventions already close to or past approval, whereas a heavier early-phase tilt suggests the field is still exploring new mechanisms and candidate approaches.
All figures are derived from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset maintained by the National Library of Medicine and are reproduced here for reference. Inclusion of a trial, sponsor, or intervention on this page is neither an endorsement nor a recommendation, eligibility, protocol changes, and site-level status can shift frequently, so always verify current details on ClinicalTrials.gov and consult a qualified healthcare provider before acting on anything you see here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many clinical trials are there for Major Depressive Disorder?
PlainTrial tracks 283 US clinical trials for Major Depressive Disorder, of which 109 are currently recruiting participants. Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov.
How do I find a recruiting trial for Major Depressive Disorder?
Use the trial list above filtered by "Recruiting" status, or visit our trial finder at /recruiting to search by condition and state. Always discuss trial participation with your healthcare provider before enrolling.
Is this data current?
Data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and reflects our most recent data pull. Trial status may have changed since then. Always verify current information at ClinicalTrials.gov before making decisions about participation.
Related
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (National Library of Medicine). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH/NLM) ClinicalTrials.gov AACT registry · 2026 Trial counts and statuses sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Sponsor counts include both industry and federal/academic sponsors.
Every figure on PlainTrial is rendered directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every registered trial for this condition, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.