Here's Why Marinus Pharmaceuticals Rose as Much as 41.1% Thursday

Here's Why Marinus Pharmaceuticals Rose as Much as 41.1% Thursday

Shares of clinical-stage biopharma Marinus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MRNS) rose over 41% today after larger peer Sage Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SAGE) reported positive top-line results for one of its drug candidates, SAGE-217, in a phase 2 trial in major depressive disorder. That's because SAGE-217 has a similar mechanism of action to ganaxolone, the sole drug in the smaller company's pipeline. 

The results hold promise that the new class of drugs could capture massive market share as treatments for various forms of depression, epilepsy, and other central nervous system ailments if clinical results hold up in later-stage trials.

As of 3:23 p.m. EST, Marinus Pharmaceuticals stock had settled to a 36.6% gain. Sage Therapeutics stock was up over 70% at that time, although it had gained up to 84.5% earlier in the day.

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Source: Fool.com