NCT02417064

A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Fixed Doses of Intranasal Esketamine Plus an Oral Antidepressant in Adult Participants With Treatment-resistant Depression

A Randomized, Double-blind, Multicenter, Active-controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Fixed Doses of Intranasal Esketamine Plus an Oral Antidepressant in Adult Subjects With Treatment-resistant Depression

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 346 (actual)
• Sponsor: Janssen Research & Development, LLC · Industry
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 64 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of switching treatment-resistant depression (TRD) participants from a prior antidepressant treatment (to which they have not responded) to either intranasal esketamine plus a new oral antidepressant or switching to a new oral antidepressant plus intranasal placebo.

Detailed description

This is a randomized, double-blind (neither the researchers nor the participants know what treatment the participant is receiving), active-controlled, multicenter study (more than 1 study site) in participants with TRD to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of fixed doses of intranasal esketamine plus a newly initiated oral antidepressant compared with a newly initiated oral antidepressant (active comparator) plus intranasal placebo. The study will consist of 3 phases: Screening/Prospective Observational Phase (4-7 weeks), Double-blind Induction Phase (4-weeks), Follow-up Phase (24-weeks). Participants who rollover into a long-term maintenance study will not participate in the Follow-up Phase. At the start of the screening/prospective observational phase, the participant must have had documented non-response to at least 1 antidepressant treatment (based on Massachusetts General Hospital - Antidepressant Treatment Response Questionnair \[MGH-ATRQ\]) in the current episode of depression, and participant is taking a different oral antidepressant treatment on the MGH-ATRQ for at least the previous 2 weeks at or above the minimum therapeutic dose. This antidepressant treatment, as well as any other ongoing medications being taken for depression at screening (including adjunctive/ augmentation therapies), will continue from the start of Week 1 through the end of Week 4 of the screening/prospective observational phase. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive Intranasal esketamine (56 milligrams \[mg\]), Intranasal esketamine (84 mg), or Intranasal placebo. In addition, each participant will be assigned to receive 1 of 4 oral antidepressant medications from 2 different classes of antidepressant treatments, a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) (escitalopram or sertraline) or a Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) (duloxetine or venlafaxine extended release \[XR\]), initiated on Day 1 and continued through the double-blind induction phase. Participants will be primarily evaluated for improvement in depressive symptoms as assessed by change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score at Week 4. Participants' safety will be monitored throughout the study.

Conditions

• Treatment-resistant Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Esketamine	Participants will self-administer either 84 mg or 56 mg of esketamine, intranasally, twice per week for 4 weeks as a fixed dose regimen in Double-Blind Induction Phase.
DRUG	Placebo	Participants will self-administer matching placebo, intranasally, twice per week for 4 weeks as a fixed dose regimen in Double-Blind Induction Phase.
DRUG	Duloxetine (Oral Antidepressant)	Duloxetine could be selected as the oral antidepressant medication by the investigator based on review of Massachusetts General Hospital - Antidepressant Treatment Response Questionnaire (MGH-ATRQ) and relevant prior antidepressant medication information. The minimum therapeutic dose is 60 milligram per day (mg/day).
DRUG	Escitalopram (Oral antidepressant)	Escitalopram could be selected as the oral antidepressant medication by the investigator based on review of MGH-ATRQ and relevant prior antidepressant medication information. Escitalopram will be titrated up to a dose of 20 mg/day, but if not tolerated the dose can be reduced to the minimum therapeutic dose of 10 mg/day.
DRUG	Sertraline (Oral Antidepressant)	Sertraline could be selected as the oral antidepressant medication by the investigator based on review of MGH-ATRQ and relevant prior antidepressant medication information. Sertraline will be titrated up to a dose of 200 mg/day, but if not tolerated the dose can be reduced to the minimum therapeutic dose of 50 mg/day.
DRUG	Venlafaxine Extended Release (XR) (Oral Antidepressant)	Venlafaxine Extended Release could be selected as the oral antidepressant medication by the investigator based on review of MGH-ATRQ and relevant prior antidepressant medication information. Venlafaxine Extended Release will be titrated up to a dose of 225 mg/day, but if not tolerated the dose can be reduced to the minimum therapeutic dose of 150 mg/day.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-08-10
• Primary completion: 2018-02-20
• Completion: 2018-02-20
• First posted: 2015-04-15
• Last updated: 2025-04-29
• Results posted: 2019-04-18

Locations

90 sites across 9 countries: United States, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, France, Hungary, Mexico, Slovakia