Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.  2022 Aug;20(3):548-559. 10.9758/cpn.2022.20.3.548.

Safety and Effectiveness of Desvenlafaxine in Korean Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A 6-month Postmarketing Surveillance Study

• Roh S
• Lee KS
• Choi S
• Kim JM

• KMID: 2532820
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2022.20.3.548

Abstract

Objective
Although the safety and efficacy of desvenlafaxine have been demonstrated, long-term evidence in Asians is lacking. We examined the safety and effectiveness of desvenlafaxine for up to 6 months in routine clinical practice in Korea.
Methods
This multicenter, open-label, prospective observational study was conducted from February 2014 to February 2020 as a postmarketing surveillance study of desvenlafaxine (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02548949). Adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were observed from the initiation of treatment for 8 weeks (acute treatment phase) and then up to 6 months (continuation treatment phase) in a subsample. Safety was evaluated by incidence of adverse events (AE) and adverse drug reactions. Treatment response was assessed using the Clinical Global ImpressionImprovement (CGI-I) scale.
Results
We included 700 and 236 study subjects in the analysis of acute and continuation treatment phase, respectively. In acute treatment phase, AE incidence was 9.86%, with nausea being most common (2.00%). In continuation treatment phase, AE incidence was 2.97%, with tremor occurring most frequently. After acute treatment (n = 464), the treatment response rate according to the CGI-I score at week 8 was 28.9%. In long-term users (n = 213), the response rate at month 6 was 45.5%. During the study period, no clinically relevant changes in BP were found regardless of concomitant use of antihypertensive drugs.
Conclusion
This study provides evidence on the safety and effectiveness of desvenlafaxine in adults with MDD, with a low incidence of AE, consistent AE profile with previous studies, and improved response after long-term treatment.

Keyword

Desvenlafaxine; Safety; Treatment outcome; Antidepressant; Major depressive disorder; Korea