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PsychopharmacologyFull Access

J&J Presents Mixed Findings for Esketamine Nasal Spray at APA Annual Meeting

Published Online:

Johnson & Johnson’s esketamine nasal spray continues to show promise in some patients with treatment-resistant depression, according to data presented by the company at the APA Annual Meeting earlier this month.

In one of two phase 3 trials described at the meeting, adult patients with moderate-to-severe depression who failed to respond to two prior treatments were randomly assigned to flexibly dosed esketamine nasal spray (56 mg or 84 mg) plus a newly initiated oral antidepressant or placebo nasal spray plus a newly initiated oral antidepressant. According to the company, patients who received esketamine nasal spray saw a significantly greater drop in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) from baseline at day 28 compared with those who received placebo nasal spray.

In the other trial, researchers randomly assigned patients 65 and older with treatment-resistant depression to esketamine nasal spray (flexibly dosed at 28 mg, 56 mg, or 84 mg) plus a newly initiated oral antidepressant or placebo nasal spray plus a newly initiated oral antidepressant. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in change in the MADRS total score from baseline to day 28. ■