Safety and effectiveness of intranasal esketamine for treatment-resistant depression: a real-world retrospective study

• Published in: Journal of comparative effectiveness research Vol. 11; no. 18; pp. 1323 - 1336
• Main Authors: Brendle, Madeline, Ahuja, Sachin, Valle, Maisa Della, Moore, Claire, Thielking, Paul, Malone, Daniel C, Robison, Reid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Administration, Intranasal; Antidepressive Agents - adverse effects; Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use; Depression - drug therapy; esketamine; Female; generalized anxiety disorder; Humans; Male; outcomes research; real-world evidence; Retrospective Studies; treatment-resistant depression; treatment-resistant depression; real-world evidence; outcomes research; generalized anxiety disorder; esketamine
• ISSN: 2042-6305; 2042-6313; 2042-6313
• DOI: 10.2217/cer-2022-0149

There is limited real-world evidence for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) receiving esketamine nasal spray. This retrospective cohort study used data collected from a psychiatric clinic's EHR system. A total of 171 TRD patients received esketamine July 2019–June 2021. This predominantly female, white population had several mental health comorbidities and high exposure to psychiatric medications. We observed significant reductions (p < 0.001) in average PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores from baseline (PHQ-9: mean: 16.7; SD: 5.8; GAD-7: mean: 12.0; SD: 5.8) to last available treatment (PHQ-9: mean: 12.0; SD: 6.4; GAD-7: mean: 8.7; SD: 5.6). There were no reports of serious adverse events. This study found a significant disease burden for patients with TRD. Esketamine appears to be well tolerated and effective in improving depression and anxiety. Retrospective cohort study evaluated patients with treatment-resistant depression receiving esketamine nasal spray at a private outpatient psychiatric clinic. Results find that esketamine appears to be well tolerated and effective in improving depression and anxiety.