Early Improvement with Vortioxetine Predicts Response and Remission: A Post Hoc Analysis of Data from a Clinical Trial Conducted in Japan

Takeshi Inoue,1 Shinji Fujimoto,2 Tatsuro Marumoto,2 Tadayuki Kitagawa,3 Kazuyuki Ishida,3 Tadashi Nakajima,2 Yoshiya Moriguchi,4 Keita Fujikawa,2 Koichiro Watanabe5 1Department of Psychiatry, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan; 2Japan Medical Office, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan; 3Takeda Development Center – Japan, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Osaka, Japan; 4Medical Affairs, Lundbeck Japan K.K., Tokyo, Japan; 5Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanCorrespondence: Takeshi InoueDepartment of Psychiatry, Tokyo Medical University, 6‐7‐1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku‐ku, Tokyo, 160‐0023, JapanTel +81-3-3342-6111 (ext. 5754)Fax +81-3-3340-4499Email tinoue@tokyo-med.ac.jpAim: Several weeks of treatment with an antidepressive agent may be required before efficacy is demonstrated in patients with major depressive disorder. This study investigated the predictive value of early partial improvement with vortioxetine for treatment response and remission.Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 study of vortioxetine (10 mg or 20 mg) in Japanese patients aged 20– 75 years with recurrent major depressive disorder and a Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score of at least 26. The key outcomes were the predictive value of early partial improvement (reduction in MADRS total score of ≥ 20% from baseline to week 2) with vortioxetine for MADRS response (≥ 50% decrease in score from baseline) and remission (decrease in score to ≤ 10) at week 8.Results: Relevant data were available for 478 patients; 62/158 patients receiving placebo, 71/162 receiving vortioxetine 10 mg, and 66/158 receiving vortioxetine 20 mg were early improvers. Early improvers receiving vortioxetine (10 mg or 20 mg) were more likely than non-early improvers to achieve a week 8 response (71.2– 73.2% vs 29.7– 38.0%) or remission (50.7– 51.5% vs 17.4– 18.7