Added Brexpiprazole Improves Life Engagement in Adults With Major Depression

Adjunctive brexpiprazole was associated with significant gains in patient life engagement in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) and inadequate response to antidepressant treatment, according to a poster presented on Sunday, September 18th, at the 35th Annual Psych Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“This study is the first to prospectively evaluate the effect of adjunctive brexpiprazole on patient life engagement in MDD,” wrote lead author Erin MacKenzie, PhD, Lundbeck, Canada. “Post hoc analyses suggest that brexpiprazole may improve patient life engagement when administered as adjunctive therapy to antidepressant treatment in patients with MDD.”

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The phase 4, open-label study included 120 adults with MDD and an inadequate response to as many as two antidepressants, including the current antidepressant prescribed. Patients initiated the atypical antipsychotic brexpiprazole 0.5–2 mg daily while continuing treatment with their current antidepressant over 8 weeks.

Between baseline and week 8, patients demonstrated a statistically significant improvement on both the 10-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report (IDS-SR) life engagement score and the IDS-SR total score, according to the poster abstract. Specifically, life engagement scores improved an average 8.11 points, while total scores improved an average 17.38 points.

Brexpiprazole was well-tolerated in patients, researchers reported.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, and H. Lundbeck A/S, Valby, Denmark, sponsored the study.

Reference

MacKenzie E. Effects of adjunctive brexpiprazole on patient life engagement in major depressive disorder: a phase 4, open-label, interventional study. Poster presented at Psych Congress; September 17-20, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana.