Efficacy of the Novel Antidepressant Agomelatine on the Circadian Rest-Activity Cycle and Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind Comparison With Sertraline
Siegfried Kasper, MD, PhD; Göran Hajak, MD; Katharina Wulff, PhD;
Witte J. G. Hoogendijk, MD, PhD; Angel Luis Montejo, MD, PhD;
Enrico Smeraldi, MD; Janusz K. Rybakowski, MD;
Maria-Antonia Quera-Salva, MD; Anna M. Wirz-Justice, PhD;
Françoise Picarel-Blanchot, PhD; and Franck J. Baylé, MD
Objective: This study evaluates the efficacy
of agomelatine, the first antidepressant to be an agonist at MT1/MT2 receptors and an antagonist
at 5-HT2C receptors, versus sertraline with regard to the amplitude of the circadian rest-activity cycle and depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
Method: Outpatients with DSM-IV-TR–defined MDD received either agomelatine 25 to 50 mg (n = 154) or sertraline 50 to 100 mg (n = 159) during a 6-week, randomized, double-blind treatment period. The study was conducted from 2005 to 2006. The main outcome measure was the relative amplitude of the individual rest-activity cycles, expressed as change from baseline to week 6 and collected from continuous records using wrist actigraphy and sleep logs. Secondary outcome measures were sleep efficiency and sleep latency, both derived from actigraphy, and efficacy on depression symptoms (17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total score and Clinical Global Impressions scale scores) and anxiety symptoms (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale total score and subscores).
Results: A significant difference in favor of agomelatine compared to sertraline on the relative amplitude of the circadian rest-activity cycle was observed at the end of the first week (P = .01).
In parallel, a significant improvement of sleep
latency (P < .001) and sleep efficiency (P < .001) from week 1 to week 6 was observed with agomelatine as compared to sertraline. Over the 6-week treatment period, depressive symptoms improved significantly more with agomelatine than with sertraline (P < .05), as did anxiety symptoms (P < .05).
Conclusions: The favorable effect of agomelatine on the relative amplitude of the circadian rest-activity/sleep-wake cycle in depressed patients at week 1 reflects early improvement in sleep and daytime functioning. Higher efficacy results were observed with agomelatine as compared to sertraline on both depressive and anxiety symptoms over the 6-week treatment period, together with a good tolerability profile. These findings
indicate that agomelatine offers promising
benefits for MDD patients.
Trial Registration: www.isrctn.org: ISRCTN49376288
J Clin Psychiatry 2010;71(2):109-120
https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.09m05347blu
© Copyright 2010 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.