Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of (R)-Ketamine Hydrochloride Injection, a Novel Rapid-Acting Antidepressant, in Healthy Chinese Subjects.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) July 21, 2025 Rui Wang, Yuqian Yang, Tong Zhou et al.
A single intravenous dose of (R)-ketamine hydrochloride, ranging from 10.0 mg to 180 mg, was safe and well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects. Adverse events were temporary and resolved without treatment. The peak plasma concentrations of (R)-ketamine and its metabolite (R)-norketamine increased roughly in proportion to the dose, with average peak levels ranging from 56.0 to 1424 ng/mL and 27.7 to 491 ng/mL, respectively. These results support further clinical studies of this rapid-acting antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression.