Brintellix® showed clinically meaningful reductions in emotional blunting† in patients with MDD with a partial response to previous SSRIs/SNRIs‡1,3

Brintellix® (vortioxetine) 10-20 mg/day) demonstrated a broad impact on emotional blunting in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). 

The COMPLETE study is an interventional, 8-week, open-label, flexible-dose (10-20 mg/day) study of Brintellix® on emotional blunting (measured by the Oxford Depression Questionnaire2 , ODQ) in patients with MDD with a partial response to current treatment to previous SSRIs/SNRIs‡1. From week 1, Brintellix® significantly reduced all ODQ subdomains.1 Read the key findings on emotional blunting from this study below. 
 

Mean change in ODQ total and domain scores from baseline#1 

Adapted from: Fagiolini A et al. 2021.

#Baseline Section 1 and 2 score = 73.6 (scale range 20 100); baseline NC score = 18.2 (scale range 5–25); baseline PR score = 22.0 (scale range 5–25); baseline ED score = 14.7 (scale range 5–25); baseline GR score = 18.9 (scale range 5–25); baseline AC score = 15.7 (scale range 6–30).1

nominal p<0.05; **nominal p≤0.001; ***nominal p<0.0001

 

All patients included in this study reported substantial emotional blunting (ODQ≥50) at baseline, with an average ODQ total score of 89.4.1 After 8 weeks of treatment with Brintellix®, patients (N=143) improved by -29.8 points (p<0.0001) in ODQ total score.1 Significant improvements were seen across all ODQ subdomains, including not caring, emotional detachment, positive reduction and general reduction and antidepressant as cause, at weeks 1, 4 and 8. Brintellix® showed clinically meaningful reductions in emotional blunting at week 4 and week 8.1,3

Overall depressive symptom resolution, measured with the MADRS total score, improved significantly from baseline to week 1 (mean change -3.3 points; p<0.0001) and continuously improved to week 8 (mean change from baseline -13.8 points; p<0.0001).1

The study confirmed the generally well-tolerated profile of Brintellix® as demonstrated in previous studies.4 The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs; reported by >5% of the study group) were nausea (20.7%), headache (8.0%), dizziness (6.7%), vomiting (6.7%) and diarrhoea (6.0%).1

 

Did you miss the the video with renowned international expert Professor Andrea Fagiolini explaining the COMPLETE study outcomes? Watch here.

† As measured by ODQ, an effective self-report measure of the symptoms of emotional blunting in patients with depression.2
‡ Partial response defined by the investigators clinical judgement of symptom severity and type to an SSRI or SNRI monotherapy at approved doses for at least 6 weeks before the screening visit. Previous SSRIs included escitalopram, paroxetine, sertraline and citalopram; previous SNRIs included venlafaxine and duloxetine.1
¶ Minimal clinically important difference was calculated to be 20 points for the ODQ-26 after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment.3 With Brintellix® 10-20 mg, at week 8 a decrease of -29.8 points was achieved.1
§ Patients with MDD were asked the gold standard standardised screening question on emotional blunting (yes/no) developed by Price J et al. 2012 at week 8. Emotional effects vary, but may include, for example, feeling emotionally numbed or blunted in some way; lacking positive emotions or negative emotions; feeling detached from the world around you; or just not caring about things that you used to care about. Have you experienced such emotional effects during the last 6 weeks? . At baseline, all patients had to 
report “Yes to this screening question.1

 

Abbreviations:
MADRS
, Montgomery-Åsberg depression rating scale; MDD, major depressive disorder; ODQ, Oxford depression questionnaire; SNRI, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TEAE, treatment-emergent adverse event.

References

1. Fagiolini A et al. JReferences
1. Fagiolini A et al. J Affect Disord. 2021;283:472-9.
2. Price J, et al. J Affect Disord. 2012;140(1):66 74.
3. Christensen MC, et al. J Affect Disord. 2021;294:924-31.
4. Baldwin DS et al. J Psychopharmacol. 2016;30:242-52.