Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Kappa opioid receptors (KORs) are a promising new therapeutic target for major depressive disorder and anhedonia. Aticaprant is a KOR antagonist developed by Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen. Aticaprant is currently being tested as an adjunctive therapy to a current antidepressant in MDD patients with a focus on treating anhedonia. Studies are expected to be completed in mid-to-late 2024 and 2025. Chemenu has been working to develop more compounds for drug discovery. Here are the building blocks we can provide.