Imagine a patient battling two tough opponents at once: depression and Alzheimer’s disease. But fear not, because there might be a remarkable treatment that can target both of these struggles. A recent post-marketing surveillance study in South Korea evaluated the effectiveness and safety of vortioxetine—a medication known for its cognitive enhancement abilities—in patients with both major depressive disorder (MDD) and Alzheimer’s disease. The study revealed encouraging results, showing that patients who received vortioxetine experienced significant improvements in their depressive symptoms over a period of six months. Not only that, but their cognitive symptoms and objective cognitive performance also showed considerable progress. These findings suggest that vortioxetine could be a helpful tool in enhancing mood and cognition for individuals dealing with the challenging duo of MDD and Alzheimer’s disease. The treatment was generally well tolerated by the patients, with only a small percentage reporting mild adverse events. This research opens up exciting possibilities for further exploration into the integrated management of depression and cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. To dive deeper into this groundbreaking study, check out the full article!

BackgroundVortioxetine has demonstrated procognitive effects in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). We assessed the effectiveness and safety of vortioxetine in a cohort of patients with MDD and comorbid Alzheimer’s disease participating in a large post-marketing surveillance study in South Korea.MethodsSubgroup analysis of a 6-month, prospective, multicenter, non-interventional cohort study in outpatients with MDD with a pre-baseline diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease receiving vortioxetine in routine care settings (n = 207). Patients were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks; a subset of patients was also assessed after 24 weeks. Depression severity was assessed using the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, cognitive symptoms using the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire–Depression, Korean version (PDQ-K), and cognitive performance using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST).ResultsMost patients were receiving a mean daily vortioxetine dose of 5 mg/day (174/190 patients; 91.6%). After 24 weeks of vortioxetine treatment, 71.4% of patients (40/56) had experienced overall clinical improvement (i.e., CGI–Improvement score ≤3) and 51.9% (28/54) had achieved remission from depressive symptoms (i.e., MADRS total score ≤10 points). Respective mean changes in MADRS, PDQ-K, and DSST total scores from baseline to week 24 were −11.5 (p < 0.0001), −5.1 (p = 0.03), and +3.8 points (p = 0.0524). Adverse events were reported by 27 patients (13.0%) and were mostly mild (89.2%).ConclusionPatients with MDD and comorbid Alzheimer’s disease receiving vortioxetine in routine care settings in South Korea demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in depressive symptoms, cognitive symptoms, and objective cognitive performance over the 6-month treatment period. Treatment with vortioxetine was well tolerated in this patient cohort, with reported adverse events consistent with the established tolerability profile of vortioxetine.

Read Full Article (External Site)