Atai Life Sciences Stock Soars To 3-Month High As Depression Study Yields Promising Results: Retail Bulls Cheer

Shares of Atai Life Sciences soared to a three-month high following the release of positive early results from Beckley Psytech's Phase 2a study, Part 2 of BPL-003, which targets treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

The stock closed up 11.4% at $2.05 on Tuesday and gained another 1.5% in after-hours trading to $2.08.

Patients who received a single intranasal dose of BPL-003 in combination with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) experienced a swift and long-lasting antidepressant effect that persisted for three months. 

Participants tolerated the treatment without serious adverse events and were discharged within two hours on average after dosing, demonstrating real-world scalability potential.

The research monitored 12 individuals diagnosed with moderate-to-severe treatment-resistant depression who had not responded to at least two previous therapies. 

The study showed that participants had mean reductions of 18–19 MADRS points from baseline after three months, which matched results from the last single-agent study.

The Phase 2b study results from 196 participants will be accessible by mid-2025 to aid Phase 3 development and regulatory discussions.

Researchers are assessing BPL-003, which is a proprietary intranasal version of mebufotenin benzoate, to determine its effectiveness in treating alcohol use disorder.

BPL-003 showed consistent safety and efficacy profiles, according to Jefferies analyst Andrew Tsai, who noted the data was "encouraging," while de-risking the pivotal Phase 2b trial scheduled for mid-2025. 

Atai currently owns 34% of Beckley Psytech, but can boost its shareholding to 45% or higher by investing nearly $60 million, Jefferies said.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘extremely bullish’ amid a 120% surge in 24-hour message volume.

One user said Atai faces a key technical test at $2.50, suggesting that a sustained move above that level could push the stock toward $3, while failure to hold it might lead to a retreat toward the mid-to-low $1 range.

Another user celebrated the rally, sharing that they had invested fully in $ATAI and were relieved to see the move delivering returns.

The stock has risen 28% so far in 2025.

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