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Vortioxetine Enhances Functioning in Real-World Outpatients with MDD
Outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with vortioxetine in real-world settings showed clinically relevant improvement in self-reported functioning, according to a 3-month study published in BMC Psychiatry.
“Our findings suggest that vortioxetine dosage can be increased to 20 mg/day early in the course of treatment in patients with MDD in order to achieve optimal therapeutic benefit and promote functional recovery,” researchers wrote in the study. “The observed dose–response relationship allows prescribers to increase vortioxetine dosage to optimize clinical response in patients with MDD as a possible alternative to switching to another antidepressant medication.”
The noninterventional, prospective study included 336 adults with MDD who were outpatients at private psychiatric practices and public hospitals in Greece. Participants initiated vortioxetine as first- or second-line treatment for a major depressive episode at a flexible dosage of 5–20 mg daily and were followed for 3 months.
After 1 month of vortioxetine treatment, the mean ± standard error Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) total score decreased from 18.7 ± 0.3 to 12.9 ± 0.3, according to the study. After 3 months, it fell even further to 7.8 ± 0.4. Gains were similar across all three SDS domains: work/school, social life/leisure, and family/home life.
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Functional recovery, which researchers defined as an SDS score of 6 or lower, was achieved by 14.6% of patients after 1 month and by 48.4% of patients after 3 months.
The study found greater improvements in SDS total and domain scores with higher vortioxetine dosages. The mean ± standard error change in SDS total score was 9.2 ± 0.8 with 5-10 mg/day, researchers reported, compared with 12.1 ± 0.4 with 15-20 mg/day.
“Higher dosages of vortioxetine were associated with significantly greater improvements in functioning and higher rates of functional recovery,” said researchers.
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