Impact of AXS-05 (DEXTROMETHORPHAN-BUPROPION), an Oral NMDA Receptor Antagonist, on Anhedonic Symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder
Amanda Jones, Roger S McIntyre, Mark Jacobsen, Caroline Streicher, Zachariah Thomas, Herriot Tabuteau
CNS Spectrums April 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1017/s1092852923002171 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 327 |
| Population | Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) |
| Intervention | AXS-05 (dextromethorphan-bupropion) |
| Dose | dextromethorphan HBr 45 mg- bupropion HCl 105 mg, twice daily |
| Duration | 6-week study |
| Topics | Depression |
| Key findings | AXS-05 rapidly and significantly reduced anhedonic symptoms compared to placebo. |
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundTreatments for MDD that can improve both overall depressive and anhedonic symptoms are urgently needed.AXS-05 (dextromethorphan-bupropion) is a novel, oral, investigational NMDA receptor antagonist with multimodal activity being developed for MDD. The dextromethorphan component of AXS-05 is an NMDA receptor antagonist and a sigma-1 receptor agonist. The bupropion component of AXS-05 serves primarily to increase the bioavailability of dextromethorphan.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of AXS-05 in improving anhedonic symptoms in MDD.MethodsGEMINI (N=327) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week study, which randomized adults with MDD to AXS-05 (dextromethorphan HBr 45 mg- bupropion HCl 105 mg) or placebo, twice daily. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in the MADRS total score at Week 6. A post-hoc analysis was conducted to determine the impact of AXS-05 versus placebo on the 5-item MADRS anhedonia subscale (MAS).ResultsBaseline MAS scores were 19.8 and 19.6 in the AXS-05 and placebo group, respectively. At Week 1, AXS-05 treatment resulted in a significant mean reduction from baseline in the MAS score of 4.44 versus 2.69 points for placebo (p< 0.001). At Week 6, the mean reduction from baseline in the MAS was 9.70 for AXS-05 compared to 7.22 for placebo (p=0.001). Response rates (≥ 50% MAS improvement) were significantly greater for AXS-05 compared to placebo at Week 1 (p< 0.001) and at every time point thereafter.Treatment with AXS-05 was generally safe and well tolerated. The most common adverse events being dizziness, nausea, headache, diarrhea, somnolence, and dry mouth.ConclusionsTreatment with AXS-05 rapidly and significantly reduced anhedonic symptoms as well as overall depressive symptoms.FundingAxsome Therapeutics
Comparable studies
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