Helus Pharma Teams Up with TARA Mind on Veteran Mental Health Efforts

NEW YORK – Helus Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel serotonergic agonists (NSAs) to treat mental health conditions, announced it has joined forces with TARA Mind to help recruit veterans for its Phase 3 trial of an experimental treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) and to broaden mental health support in military communities.

The agreement brings together Helus Pharma’s PARADIGM HLP003 program and the networks of TARA Mind, which partners with Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS). The groups plan to connect veterans with information about the ongoing trial and raise awareness of new research options for conditions like depression that affect service members at high rates.

HLP003 is a proprietary compound that has received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an add-on treatment for major depressive disorder. Dosing is underway in the Phase 3 study. Helus Pharma, which trades under the ticker HELP on Nasdaq and the Cboe Canada exchange, focuses on synthetic molecules designed to influence serotonin pathways and support neuroplasticity.

TARA Mind was founded in 2022 by Marcus Capone, a former Navy SEAL who turned to alternative therapies after struggling with treatment-resistant mental health issues following his service. The organization works to expand access to evidence-based care for people who have not improved with standard treatments. VETS, started earlier by Capone and his wife Amber, has focused on helping veterans explore new approaches to PTSD, depression and related challenges.

The timing lines up with a White House executive order signed April 18 that calls for faster research and expanded access to certain therapies for serious mental illness, with attention to veterans. Helus Pharma has noted the order’s emphasis on clinical trial participation and innovative treatments.

Company officials said the partnership draws on the experience of TARA Mind and VETS in reaching veteran groups. “These collaborations will support recruitment efforts for our FDA Breakthrough Therapy-designated HLP003 program,” a Helus statement said. The effort also aims to increase general awareness of mental health resources in those communities.

Veterans have long faced elevated risks of depression, PTSD and suicide. Traditional options do not work for everyone, which has kept interest high in compounds that act on serotonin systems. Helus Pharma’s pipeline includes other candidates, but HLP003 represents its most advanced program in depression.

This move reflects a common strategy in late-stage development: tapping specialized networks to speed enrollment in trials that can run into recruitment hurdles. Success in Phase 3 will depend on clean data, manageable safety profiles and clear signals of benefit that hold up under regulatory review. Partnerships like this one can help surface participants who meet study criteria while connecting them to broader conversations about care.