Corcept Therapeutics: Understanding and Treating the Effects of Cortisol

Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is responsible in responding to stress and low blood glucose. This hormone plays a vital role in our bodily functions, but can also be life-threatening if taken in high dosages. There are several disorders that are the result of high levels of cortisol in the body.

Corcept Therapeutics, Inc. is one of the pharmaceutical companies in the United States that focus in the discovery and development of drugs to treat psychiatric, severe metabolic and oncologic disorders. Their flagship product is called the mifepristone, which is geared towards addressing abnormal levels of cortisol in the body and the corresponding diseases that resulted from this elevated hormones. This medication is intended to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus and is being developed for ovarian, breast and prostate cancer.

It is in Menlo Park, California that the business holds its corporate office. It remains publicly traded on the NASDAQ and markets its common shares under the symbol CORT.