Definium Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: DFTX) announced results from a study published in the Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders showing the annual prevalence of newly diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder increased from 5.4% in 2020 to 6.6% in 2023.

The retrospective study analyzed healthcare claims data from 2020 to 2023 and found the three-year cumulative prevalence of GAD reached 10.3%, representing more than one in 10 U.S. adults. Annual incidence rates remained between 2.1% and 2.3% throughout the study period.

The research revealed that GAD affects women disproportionately at 67% and shows high association with major depressive disorder. The study used data from the Komodo Healthcare Map claims database, which the authors describe as broadly representative of the U.S. population.

"This rise likely reflects a convergence of greater awareness, shifting screening, and increasing societal stressors, which have occurred against a backdrop of persistent unmet need," said Jeffrey Strawn, co-author and professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

The study authors noted that healthcare claims data may more accurately reflect diagnosed populations compared to survey-based estimates and suggested the true burden of GAD could be higher due to underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis.

GAD affects approximately 26 million U.S. adults and is characterized by excessive worry that can impair daily functioning. The last new drug approval for GAD treatment occurred in 2007, according to the company statement.

Definium Therapeutics develops psychiatric treatments using psychedelics and is headquartered in New York.