In treatment-resistant depression, esketamine nasal spray combined with an SSRI or SNRI led to remission in 27.1% of patients at week 8, compared to 17.6% for extended-release quetiapine plus an SSRI or SNRI. Over 32 weeks, 21.7% of patients on esketamine had no relapse after remission versus 14.1% on quetiapine. The open-label, single-blind, randomized trial included 676 patients. Adverse events matched known safety profiles. Esketamine was superior to quetiapine for achieving remission and preventing relapse.
Daily use of high-potency cannabis is associated with more positive symptoms and fewer negative symptoms in first-episode psychosis patients. Among 901 patients and 1,235 controls across six European countries, those who used high-potency cannabis daily had the highest scores on positive symptoms, while negative symptoms were more common in patients who never used cannabis. Psychotic experiences in controls were linked to current cannabis use but not to lifetime use. Depressive symptoms showed no differences related to cannabis use in either group.