QUALITY OF LIFE AND PRODUCTIVITY AMONG ESKETAMINE RESPONDERS IN A REAL-WORLD STUDY IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Journal of Psychiatric Research July 1, 2026 Malcolm Hopwood, David Codyre, David Barton et al.
In a post-hoc subgroup analysis of an Early Access Program in Australia and New Zealand, 28 of 84 participants (33.3%) with treatment-resistant depression who received esketamine nasal spray plus a newly-initiated oral antidepressant over 16 weeks were classified as responders (≥50% decrease in HAMD-17 score). Responders showed mean improvements in depression severity (71.2%), quality of life (29.5% on AQoL-8D), and work productivity (≥11.9% on WPAI:SHP), with the largest gains in mental health (32.9%) and overall work productivity loss (35.9%). Results should be interpreted cautiously due to the post-hoc design, short follow-up, small sample, and missing data.