Exhibit 99.1
![LOGO](https://capedge.com/proxy/8-K/0001193125-23-204408/g538591snap1.jpg)
Sage Therapeutics Announces Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Highlights Pipeline and Business Progress
ZURZUVAE™ (zuranolone) approved as first-and-only oral treatment specifically indicated for adults with postpartum depression (PPD) and on-track for planned launch in the fourth quarter of 2023 shortly after DEA scheduling
Sage brain health pipeline provides potential for significant long-term value creation
Remain well capitalized with $1.0 billion of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30, 2023
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – August 7, 2023 – Sage Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SAGE), a biopharmaceutical company leading the way to create a world with better brain health, today reported business highlights and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023.
“We are currently at a tipping point with the burden and prevalence of brain health conditions accelerating at an alarming rate. The need has never been greater than it is today and our team is singularly focused on changing the trajectory of these devastating diseases through our development efforts and novel pipeline,” said Barry Greene, Chief Executive Officer at Sage Therapeutics. “We were delighted to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for ZURZUVAE as the first-and-only oral treatment specifically indicated for adults with postpartum depression (PPD), the most common medical complication of childbirth. We believe the need for new treatment options for women with PPD is a significant medical need and presents a strong business opportunity. While we were very disappointed by the recent Complete Response Letter (CRL) we received from the FDA regarding zuranolone in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), we are reviewing the feedback from the FDA and evaluating next steps.”
“While we believe we are well capitalized, given the impact of the CRL for zuranolone in MDD on our plans, we are currently evaluating resource allocation, including pipeline prioritization and a workforce reorganization with a goal of extending our cash runway. With a right-sized organization and portfolio, we believe we have an opportunity to emerge as an even stronger company. We plan to provide greater detail and next steps before the end of the third quarter,” continued Mr. Greene.
Second Quarter 2023 Portfolio Updates
Sage is advancing a portfolio of clinical-stage programs with internally discovered novel chemical entities that have the potential to address urgent unmet needs in brain health by targeting the GABAA and NMDA receptor systems. Dysfunction in these systems is thought to be at the core of numerous neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Depression Franchise
ZURZUVAE was approved by the FDA in August 2023 as the first-and-only oral treatment specifically indicated for adults with PPD. Zuranolone is a next-generation positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of GABAA receptors being evaluated as a treatment for various affective disorders in collaboration with Biogen Inc. Sage also commercializes ZULRESSO® (brexanolone) CIV injection in the treatment of PPD.
ZURZUVAE is expected to be commercially available for adults with PPD in the fourth quarter of 2023 shortly following scheduling by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is expected to occur within 90 days.
Sage also announced that the FDA issued a CRL for the New Drug Application (NDA) seeking approval of zuranolone as a treatment for MDD.