Drugs - real world outcomes
June 1, 2024
Lisa Harding, Kruti Joshi, Maryia Zhdanava et al.
5 citations
Adults with treatment-resistant depression who completed induction treatment with esketamine nasal spray showed reductions in acute healthcare costs, particularly among those who had prior mental health-related hospitalizations or emergency visits. In a cohort of 322 patients, mean all-cause acute healthcare costs per patient per month fell from $837 before treatment to $770 after, while mental health-related costs dropped from $648 to $577. Among 111 patients with prior acute care use, all-cause costs decreased from $2,323 to $1,423, driven by mental health-related cost reductions from $1,880 to $1,139. Patients generally took longer than the label-recommended 28 days to complete the eight induction sessions, averaging 73 days. Most patients continued with maintenance sessions.
Clinical therapeutics
March 1, 2025
Lisa Harding, Maryia Zhdanava, Amanda Teeple et al.
3 citations
Patients with major depressive disorder accompanied by acute suicidal ideation or behavior who were started on esketamine nasal spray had fewer acute care hospital days and lower medical costs per month than those receiving electroconvulsive therapy or an antidepressant augmented with a second-generation antipsychotic. Among 122 esketamine users, mean acute care use was 0.59 days per month, a 58% decrease from before treatment, compared with 3.17 days (44% increase) for 336 ECT patients and 0.92 days (21% decrease) for 9,958 patients on augmentation therapy. Medical costs per patient per month were $1,869 for esketamine, $4,624 for ECT, and $2,163 for augmentation. The findings suggest esketamine may be associated with lower resource use and cost reductions relative to other treatments.
Frontiers in neuroscience
January 1, 2025
Christine Ramirez, Gertrude Asumpaame Alayine, Cyril Selase Kwaku Akafia et al.
3 citations
Music mindfulness—combining music listening with mindfulness activities—acutely increases heart rate variability and alters brain activity in frontotemporal regions, as measured by wearable electrocardiography and electroencephalography in people with moderate anxiety and depression. Both live and virtual sessions reduce stress and shift state of consciousness, but only live sessions enhance social connection. Effects on physiology and psychology differ by self-reported sex. The findings suggest music mindfulness engages autonomic and neural mechanisms that may help treat anxiety and depression symptoms.
Current medical research and opinion
September 1, 2024
Lisa Harding, Maryia Zhdanava, Aditi Shah et al.
2 citations
Among US adults with treatment-resistant depression who initiated esketamine nasal spray, those whose health plans had prior authorization criteria stricter than the drug label (stringent cohort, 168 patients) and those with less or equally strict criteria (non-stringent cohort, 400 patients) had similar treatment histories. Both groups completed about four antidepressant treatment courses on average before starting esketamine, and roughly 95% used augmentation therapy, with about 59% using an antipsychotic. These averages exceeded the number of antidepressant trials mandated by the esketamine label, suggesting that requiring additional prior authorization steps beyond the label may not be necessary.