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Unipolar Depression

Neurology
2
Pipeline Programs
7
Companies
7
Clinical Trials
1 recruiting
0
Approved Products

Pipeline by Development Stage

Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 2/3
Phase 3
On Market
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
Early DiscoveryClinical DevelopmentMarket

Drug Modality Breakdown

Small Molecule
1100%
+ 7 programs with unclassified modality

Neurology is a $26.9B market dominated by a single blockbuster anticoagulant (ELIQUIS), representing a mature but consolidating therapeutic area.

$26.9B marketMature→ Stable30 products15 companies

Key Trends

  • Extreme market concentration: 68% of spending driven by one FXa inhibitor product
  • Psychiatric and migraine therapies emerging as secondary growth drivers
  • High clinical trial activity (8,279 trials) signals continued pipeline development

Career Verdict

Neurology offers solid career stability with good hiring demand, but limited upside growth—best suited for professionals seeking established market positions rather than emerging-area innovation.

AI-generated market analysis based on FDA, CMS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and hiring data

Market Leaders

#1ELIQUISStable
$18.3B
Bristol Myers Squibb·Launch15.0yr
$1.8B
#3BRILINTAStable
$692M
AstraZeneca·Peak10.2yr
#4NUPLAZIDStable
$596M
$530M
Johnson & Johnson·Peak15.6yr

Drug Class Breakdown

FXa Inhibitors (anticoagulant)
$18.3B(68%)

market-defining single product

Dopamine/Serotonin Antagonists (psychiatric)
$2.4B(9%)

stable mature class

P2Y12 Receptor Antagonists (antiplatelet)
$692M(3%)

niche but stable

5-HT2A Inverse Agonists (psychiatric)
$596M(2%)

specialty indication focus

CGRP Receptor Antagonists (migraine)
$931M(3%)

emerging growth segment

Immunomodulators (MS)
$747M(3%)

stable with LOE risk

Other mechanisms
$2.6B(10%)

diverse small products

Career Outlook

Stable

Neurology represents a mature, cash-generative market with limited growth tailwinds but strong hiring stability. The dominance of ELIQUIS creates a bifurcated career landscape: high-opportunity positions in emerging segments (CGRP antagonists, psychiatric therapeutics) and commoditized roles in anticoagulant franchises. Job availability is solid but growth expectations should be tempered relative to oncology or immunology.

Breaking In

Entry-level professionals should target clinical operations or commercial support roles at J&J, AstraZeneca, or Sanofi to build domain expertise in neurology disease states and competitive dynamics.

For Experienced Professionals

Experienced professionals should prioritize emerging mechanism roles (CGRP, tau-targeting programs) or pivot to medtech/neurotech (Stryker, Medtronic) to capture higher growth and salary potential than traditional pharma incumbents.

In-Demand Skills

Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) for specialist engagementClinical trial operations expertisePsychiatric/neurodegenerative disease educationRegulatory affairs (given patent cliff activity)Commercial strategy around branded/generic transitions

Best For

Medical Science LiaisonCommercial Brand Manager (anticoagulant/psychiatric franchises)Clinical Operations ManagerRegulatory Affairs SpecialistClinical Development Manager (CGRP/immunomodulator pipelines)

Hiring Landscape

$100K-$199K

Neurology shows moderate but distributed hiring across pharma and medtech employers, with 4,186 total jobs listed. Commercial functions lead (947 roles, $169K avg), followed by clinical operations (467 roles, $132K avg), indicating bias toward commercialization over R&D. Takeda leads external hiring (762 jobs) with strong representation in contract research and CRO spaces.

4,186
Open Roles
5
Companies Hiring
5
Departments

Top Hiring Companies

762Growing
434Stable
302Stable

By Department

Commercial(23%)
$169K
Clinical Operations(11%)
$132K
Engineering(8%)
$199K
IT(4%)
$100K
Manufacturing(3%)
$170K

Commercial and clinical operations roles dominate, offering stable mid-career positions; engineering roles command premium salaries ($199K), suggesting strong device/neurotech hiring pockets.

Competitive Landscape

6 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

Alliance Pharmaceuticals
1 program
1
KetaminePhase 41 trial
Active Trials
NCT01881763Completed31Est. Jul 2017
Lundbeck
LundbeckDenmark - Copenhagen
1 program
1
escitalopram, pindololPhase 2/3Small Molecule1 trial
Active Trials
NCT01219686Terminated18Est. Jun 2013
Eppendorf
EppendorfGermany - Hamburg
2 programs
D-MCTN/A1 trial
D-MCTN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT02771535Completed84Est. May 2017
NCT03268434Completed86Est. Sep 2019
Soterix Medical
Soterix MedicalNJ - Woodbridge
2 programs
transcranial direct current stimulationN/A1 trial
Soterix Medical mini-CT tDCS stimulatorPHASE_11 trial
Active Trials
NCT07042217Recruiting25Est. Sep 2026
NCT04781127Completed50Est. Aug 2022
AstraZeneca
AstraZenecaCAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
1 program
Validation of the Spanish Version of the Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS) ScaleN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT01360307Completed330Est. Nov 2011
ViiV Healthcare
ViiV HealthcareNC - Durham
1 program
lamotrigineN/A

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Alliance PharmaceuticalsKetamine
Lundbeckescitalopram, pindolol
Soterix MedicalSoterix Medical mini-CT tDCS stimulator
Soterix Medicaltranscranial direct current stimulation
EppendorfD-MCT
EppendorfD-MCT
AstraZenecaValidation of the Spanish Version of the Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS) Scale

Clinical Trials (7)

Total enrollment: 624 patients across 7 trials

Ketamine as an Augmentation Strategy for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in Depression

Start: Jun 2010Est. completion: Jul 201731 patients
Phase 4Completed
NCT01219686Lundbeckescitalopram, pindolol

EScitalopram PIndolol ONset of Action

Start: Oct 2010Est. completion: Jun 201318 patients
Phase 2/3Terminated
NCT04781127Soterix MedicalSoterix Medical mini-CT tDCS stimulator

Home-administered tDCS for Treatment of Depression

Start: Feb 2021Est. completion: Aug 202250 patients
Phase 1Completed
NCT07042217Soterix Medicaltranscranial direct current stimulation

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Depression

Start: Jul 2025Est. completion: Sep 202625 patients
N/ARecruiting

Evaluation of Metacognitive Training for Depression (D-MCT) in Outpatient Care

Start: Oct 2017Est. completion: Sep 201986 patients
N/ACompleted

Long-term Efficacy of Metacognitive Training for Depression (D-MCT)

Start: Mar 2016Est. completion: May 201784 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT01360307AstraZenecaValidation of the Spanish Version of the Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS) Scale

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS) Scale

Start: Jun 2011Est. completion: Nov 2011330 patients
N/ACompleted

Related Jobs in Neurology

Phase Legend

PreclinicalLab & animal studies
Phase 1Safety & dosing
Phase 2Efficacy testing
Phase 3Large-scale trials
On MarketApproved & available

Key Insights

1 actively recruiting trials targeting 624 patients
7 companies competing in this space

The information on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Drug information is sourced from FDA, DailyMed, and other government databases. Adverse event data from FAERS does not establish causation. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical decisions.