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Repeated intranasal ketamine for treatment-resistant depression - the way to go? Results from a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Verònica Gálvez, Adrienne Li, Christina Huggins, Paul Glue, Donel Martin, Andrew A Somogyi, Angelo Alonzo, Anthony Rodgers, Philip B Mitchell, Colleen Loo

Journal of Psychopharmacology April 2018 DOI: 10.1177/0269881118760660 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study Peer reviewed
Sample size 5
Population Treatment-resistant depressed participants
Interventions Ketamine midazolam
Dose 100 mg ketamine or 4.5 mg midazolam, given as 10 separate intranasal sprays self-administered 5 min apart
Duration 4-week course of eight treatments; plasma assays after the first treatment
Topics Depression Ketamine Esketamine
Keywords Adverse effects Efficacy Intranasal spray Randomised controlled trial
Key points Intranasal ketamine (100 mg, eight treatments over four weeks) was poorly tolerated in this pilot: acute cardiovascular, psychotomimetic, and neurological side effects occurred, no ketamine participant completed all ten sprays per session due to incoordination, and plasma ketamine and norketamine levels varied about two-fold between participants. The trial was stopped early after five participants. One participant in each of the ketamine and midazolam groups remitted by course end. The authors conclude that, with this formulation and device, intranasal ketamine was not a useful treatment approach for treatment-resistant depression.

Abstract

Ketamine research in depression has mostly used intravenous, weight-based approaches, which are difficult to translate clinically. Intranasal (IN) ketamine is a promising alternative but no controlled data has been published on the feasibility, safety and potential efficacy of repeated IN ketamine treatments. This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study compared a 4-week course of eight treatments of 100 mg ketamine or 4.5 mg midazolam. Each treatment was given as 10 separate IN sprays, self-administered 5 min apart. The study was stopped early due to poor tolerability after five treatment-resistant depressed participants were included. Feasibility, safety (acute and cumulative), cognitive and efficacy outcomes were assessed. Plasma ketamine and norketamine concentrations were assayed after the first treatment. Significant acute cardiovascular, psychotomimetic and neurological side effects occurred at doses < 100 mg ketamine. No participants were able to self-administer all 10 ketamine sprays due to incoordination; treatment time occasionally had to be extended (>45 min) due to acute side effects. No hepatic, cognitive or urinary changes were observed after the treatment course in either group. There was an approximately two-fold variation in ketamine and norketamine plasma concentrations between ketamine participants. At course end, one participant had remitted in each of the ketamine and midazolam groups. IN ketamine, with the drug formulation and delivery device used, was not a useful treatment approach in this study. Absorption was variable between individuals and acute tolerability was poor, requiring prolonged treatment administration time in some individuals. The drug formulation, the delivery device, the insufflation technique and individual patient factors play an important role in tolerability and efficacy when using IN ketamine for TRD.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on ketamine for depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Patients with treatment-resistant major depression experiencing a major depressive episode 2013 Randomized controlled trial n = 73
Efficacy and Safety of Flexibly Dosed Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a Newly Initiated Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Study Adults with moderate to severe nonpsychotic depression and a history of nonresponse to... 2019 Phase 3, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter randomized controlled trial n = 227
Efficacy of Esketamine Nasal Spray Plus Oral Antidepressant Treatment for Relapse Prevention in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults with treatment-resistant depression who achieved stable remission or stable... 2019 Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized withdrawal study n = 297
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine Adjunctive to Oral Antidepressant Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression Adults with DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of major depressive disorder and history of inadequate... 2017 Phase 2, double-blind, doubly randomized, delayed-start, placebo-controlled study n = 67
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Esketamine for the Rapid Reduction of Symptoms of Depression and Suicidality in Patients at Imminent Risk for Suicide: Results of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study Depressed patients at imminent risk for suicide 2018 Randomized controlled trial n = 68

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