Trial finds ketamine noninferior to ECT for treatment‐resistant depression
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1002/pu.31057 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open-label trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with treatment-resistant major depression at electroconvulsive therapy clinics |
| Interventions | Ketamine Electroconvulsive therapy |
| Duration | 3-week treatment period, 6-month follow-up |
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Twice-weekly ketamine was noninferior to three sessions per week of ECT for treatment-resistant major depression, and relapse rates over 6 months were higher with ECT than with ketamine. |
Abstract
A large‐scale open‐label trial conducted at electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) clinics has found that twice‐weekly dosing of ketamine was noninferior to three sessions a week of ECT in patients with treatment‐resistant major depression. Relapse rates during a 6‐month follow‐up period after the initial 3‐week treatment period were higher among patients receiving ECT than patients receiving ketamine. Study results were published May 24, 2023, in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Resolution of Suicidal Ideation After a Single Infusion of anN-Methyl-D-Aspartate Antagonist in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Subjects with DSM-IV-diagnosed treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2010 | Open-label trial | n = 33 |
| Esketamine Nasal Spray Plus Oral Antidepressant in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults (≥ 18 years) with treatment-resistant depression | 2020 | Phase 3, open-label, multicenter, long-term study | n = 802 |
| Intravenous arketamine for treatment-resistant depression: open-label pilot study Humans with treatment-resistant depression | 2020 | Open-label pilot trial | n = 7 |
| A Phase 2 Open Label Study of Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of SLS-002 (Intranasal Racemic Ketamine) in Adults with MDD at Imminent Risk of Suicide. Hospitalized patients with Major Depressive Disorder and acute suicidal ideation and... | 2024 | Open label study | n = 17 |
| Ketamine Safety and Tolerability in Clinical Trials for Treatment-Resistant Depression Participants with DSM-IV-defined major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant... | 2014 | Pooled analysis of three clinical trials | n = 97 |