Efficacy and safety of adjunctive therapy using esketamine or racemic ketamine for adult treatment-resistant depression: A randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority study.
Journal of Affective Disorders November 14, 2019 F. S. Correia-Melo, G. C. Leal, F. Vieira et al. 188 citations
In adults with treatment-resistant depression, a single intravenous infusion of esketamine (0.25 mg/kg) was non-inferior to ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) for achieving remission 24 hours later. Among 63 participants, 29.4% in the esketamine group and 24.1% in the ketamine group showed remission, a difference of 5.3% that fell within the predefined non-inferiority margin. Depression scores on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale improved similarly in both groups, and side effects were mild and comparable. The findings suggest that esketamine at half the dose of ketamine offers equivalent short-term efficacy and safety.