A Comparative Study of Efficacy and Safety of Agomelatine and Escitalopram in Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental disorder characterized by episodes of depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feeling of guilt or low self-esteem, loss of energy, altered sleep patterns and difficulty in concentration.Objective: This study was carried out to compare the efficacy and safety of Agomelatine with Escitalopram in the treatment of major depressive disorder. design and Setting: This is a prospective study conducted at Outpatient Department of Psychiatry, GSL Medical College & General hospital, Rajahmundry, India. Materials and Methods:Patients with newly diagnosed major depressive disorder (DSM-IV-TR) with minimum score of 20 in Hamilton depression rating scale were randomly assigned Agomelatine (25-50 mg/day) or Escitalopram (10-20 mg/day) for a period of 8 weeks. The main efficacy outcome considered was the mean change of HAM-D17 score from baseline to end of therapy.Secondary outcome measures were Clinical Global Impressionsimprovement (CGI) and severity (CGI-S) rating scales.Statistical Analysis: Student t-test was used for comparing the groups and chi-square test was used for assessing the qualitative variables. For all statistical analysis p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. results:The drugs under study effectively reduced depressive symptoms at all the time points. The percentage of responders at 8weeks (last post baseline value) was 65.38% with Agomelatine and 57.40% with Escitalopram. The difference between the drugs was statistically not significant in all evaluations (p>0.05). The mean CGI-S and CGI-I scores were decreased in both the groups (p<0.05) and there was no statistically significant difference between the groups at any assessment during the study period. Both the treatment groups showed favourable safety profile. conclusion:The study results supported that Agomelatine is therapeutically similar to Escitalopram in terms of antidepressant effect.

Agomelatine versus Sertraline: An Observational, Open-labeled and 12 Weeks Follow-up Study on Efficacy and Tolerability

“…Most studies comparing agomelatine to other drugs have used Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) scale for efficacy 6,13,14,16,18,19). In our opinion using MADRS or HAM-D is an other important issue that the percentage of items on sleep in HAM-D is more than in MADRS.…”

Acid Folic Supplementation in Major Depressive Disorder Treatment: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic mental disorder with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 13% -17% in the United States (1,2). Depression is the leading cause of disability in developed countries and has been predicted to become the most significant cause of disability worldwide by 2020 (3).…”