ABSTRACT
Background:
Major depressive disorder (MDD) causes significant functional impairments that impact on all aspects of
patients' daily lives, including their
ability to
work,
work productivity, and social
life.
Purpose:
To assess the real-world
effectiveness of the multimodal
antidepressant vortioxetine in working
patients with MDD in
China.
Patients and
methods:
RELIEVE
China was an observational, prospective
cohort study.
Patients (
aged ≥18 years) with MDD initiating
treatment with
vortioxetine in routine clinical practice settings were followed for 24 weeks. In this subgroup
analysis, functioning was assessed using the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) in
patients in full- or part-
time work or
education at baseline
who remained on
treatment at all follow-up visits (n=424). Depressive, cognitive, and
anxiety symptoms were also assessed. For all endpoints, mean change from baseline at weeks 8 and 24 was analyzed using mixed models for repeated
measures.
Results:
Clinically relevant and sustained improvements in
patient functioning and
measures of
work productivity were observed over the 24 weeks of
vortioxetine treatment. The adjusted mean (standard error) reduction in SDS total score from baseline was 5.4 (0.3) points at week 8 and 8.7 (0.3) points at week 24 (both P<0.001 vs baseline). Significant improvements were observed across all SDS domains and in levels of
absenteeism and
presenteeism (P<0.001 vs baseline for all endpoints at both
time points). Significant improvements in depressive, cognitive, and
anxiety symptoms were also observed over the study period (all P<0.001 vs baseline). The proportion of
patients in remission (ie, 17-item Hamilton
Depression Rating Scale score ≤7) after 24 weeks of
vortioxetine treatment was 65.4%.
Vortioxetine was well tolerated;
nausea was the most common
adverse event, reported by 18.6% of
patients.
Conclusion:
These findings support the
effectiveness and tolerability of
vortioxetine in working
patients with MDD receiving
treatment in routine clinical practice settings in
China.