Efficacy and safety of doxepin 6 mg in a four-week outpatient trial of elderly adults with chronic primary insomnia.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy and safety of doxepin (DXP), a histamine H(1) receptor antagonist, was evaluated in elderly adults with sleep maintenance insomnia. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled outpatient trial. Elderly adults meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for primary insomnia were randomized to four weeks of nightly treatment with either DXP 6 mg (N=130) or placebo (PBO; N=124). Efficacy was assessed using patient self-report instruments and clinician ratings. Patient-reported endpoints included subjective total sleep time (sTST), subjective wake after sleep onset (sWASO), latency to sleep onset (LSO), sleep quality, and a Patient Global Impression scale (PGI). The primary endpoint was sTST at week 1. RESULTS: DXP 6 mg produced significantly more sTST and less sWASO at week 1 (both p-values <0.0001) than PBO. These significant improvements versus placebo were maintained at weeks 2-4 (all p-values <0.05). There were no significant differences in LSO for DXP 6 mg versus PBO. DXP 6 mg significantly improved sleep quality (weeks 1, 3, and 4, p<0.05) and several outcome-related parameters, including several items on the PGI, the severity and improvement items of the Clinician Global Impression scale (CGI; weeks 1 and 2) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI; weeks 1-4), all versus PBO. There were no reports of anticholinergic effects (e.g., dry mouth) or memory impairment. The safety profile of DXP 6 mg was comparable to that of PBO. CONCLUSIONS: In elderly adults with insomnia, DXP 6 mg produced significant improvements in sleep maintenance, sleep duration, and sleep quality endpoints that were sustained throughout the trial. These data suggest that DXP 6 mg is effective for treating sleep maintenance insomnia and is well-tolerated in elderly adults with chronic primary insomnia.

A randomized, double-blind study comparing LY2216684 and placebo in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

The efficacy, tolerability, and safety of LY2216684, a highly selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, were studied in adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This randomized, double-blind study compared flexible-dose LY2216684 6-18 mg once daily (N = 250) with placebo (N = 245) for 10 weeks acute therapy followed by 1 year LY2216684 treatment (results not reported here). Primary inclusion criteria consisted of GRID 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score ≥18 and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity score ≥4. The primary efficacy measure was the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score. Response was defined as a ≥50% reduction in MADRS score and remission as MADRS total score ≤10. Global functioning was assessed using the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). LY2216684-treated patients showed significant improvement from baseline on the MADRS total score compared with placebo-treated patients (-13.3 vs. -9.8, p < .001), and they had a significantly higher probability of achieving response (49.5%) and remission (29.7%) compared with placebo-treated patients (29.3% and 18.8%, respectively). For the SDS global functional impairment score, LY2216684 treatment resulted in significantly greater improvement compared with placebo treatment (p < .001). More LY2216684-treated than placebo-treated patients discontinued from the study because of an adverse event or death (9.6% vs. 1.6%, p ≤ .001). LY2216684 was associated with significant increases (p < .01) from baseline in systolic (3 mm Hg) and diastolic (4 mm Hg) blood pressure and pulse (10 bpm) compared with placebo. LY2216684 6-18 mg demonstrated significant efficacy and was tolerated in the treatment of MDD.