Ketamine tablets effective against persistent depression

In recent years, various drugs previously used only for recreational purposes have shown potential in treating serious mental health problems such as depression. ketamine is an example of this. Numerous studies have demonstrated its beneficial effects in cases of severe depression, and derivatives of this substance are already used in psychiatric wards.

This drug is usually administered intravenously or through a nasal spray. But oral treatment may soon become an alternative, based on the results of a phase 2 study that shows the tablet form of ketamine is effective, safe and well tolerated by patients with depression that is resistant to other medications. Compared to other presentations oral administration reduces drug-related side effects such as mental dissociation or tachycardia. The results of the work were published in the latest issue of the journal. Natural medicine.

“This new study further highlights the impressive antidepressant effects of ketamine, but in a much more convenient and acceptable slow-release tablet form,” he said. Paul Kidwell psychiatrist and fellow of the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Psychiatrists in a statement to Science Media Center.

In the study, “more than 70% of depressed patients who did not improve on an average of more than four different antidepressants responded to oral ketamine and more than 50% fully translatedpoints out the psychiatrist, who adds that, in addition, the researchers also demonstrated an important benefit of oral ketamine: “side effects are not significantly different from placebo. In other words, a ketamine tablet, unlike an infusion, is well tolerated. This is consistent with previous studies,” he says.

“The study addressed the difficult issue of maintaining improvement after initial response. His results suggest that many will continue to do well with long-term treatment as long as higher doses are used, but Additional studies with larger numbers of patients are needed.“warns the researcher. “A possible disadvantage of oral ketamine is that there are likely to be large individual differences in absorption and metabolism, so further research is needed to determine the ideal dosing regimen,” he explains.

Researchers led by Paul Glew from the University of Otago (New Zealand) designed a study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new oral form of the drug, which was administered through a tablet.called R-107. This presentation, they note, allows the drug to reach the bloodstream more slowly.

In the first phase of the study, 231 patients with treatment-resistant depression received 120 mg of the drug within five days in order to identify those who responded to its consequences.

A total of 168 patients entered the second phase of the study, in which they were divided into those who continued taking ketamine (at a dose of 180 mg) or received placebo.

Comparing the results, the scientists found that 71% of patients in the placebo group had their depression problems return after 13 weeks, compared with 43% who relapsed in the group that received 180 mg of R-107 twice a week.

Additionally, in this latter group, the researchers found no changes in blood pressure and minimal symptoms of sedation and mental dissociation. side effects usually attributed to the drug.

In this sense, the researchers note in their findings that the use of the oral form may provide advantages over other forms of administration, such as intranasal or intravenous, both in terms of reduced side effects and greater ease of administration.

“This study confirms that oral ketamine, like intravenous ketamine, is an antidepressant, but its effect is dose dependent. The results are good enough to justify phase 3 trials, a broader one that would be required to obtain a license for a dose of 180 mg twice a week. Given the ease with which people can take two tablets if one does not benefit them, regulators may be interested in the benefits and risks of higher doses,” he notes in a conversation with SMC. Rupert McShane Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK, and Consultant Psychiatrist, Oxford Health NHS Trust.