Emerging Technologies to Address Placebo Response in CNS Trials

A recent study examined the relationship between early treatment response and long-term outcomes in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD).

By measuring the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR 16) within 2 weeks of randomization, the study found a significant association between early improvement and higher treatment response rates at 6 weeks, regardless of treatment type.

Notably, participants who showed early improvement demonstrated better outcomes by week 6, with combination treatments (buspirone and melatonin SR) outperforming buspirone or placebo alone.

Read about this post-hoc analysis of a small cohort and its implications for signal detection and clinical trial outcomes in MDD.

This article was published in Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience (January-March 2024). Authors include William P. Horan, Gary Sachs, Dawn I. Velligan, Michael Davis, Richard S.E. Keefe, Ni A. Khin, Florence Butlen-Ducuing, and Philip D. Harvey, representing academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory agencies.