Depressive Disorder News and Research

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Positive results from Alkermes’ ALKS 5461 phase 1/2 study on MDD

Alkermes plc today presented positive results from the phase 1/2 study of ALKS 5461, a novel drug compound for major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients who have an inadequate response to standard therapies for clinical depression, in an oral session at the 52nd Annual New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) Meeting in Phoenix.

30 May 2012

Most depressed patients must make multiple attempts before finding an effective antidepressant

UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrists are leading a national clinical trial to find biomarkers that can better predict how people suffering from depression will respond to medications so physicians eventually can personalize treatments.

16 May 2012

Non-drug therapy with NeuroStar TMS improves depression symptoms and QOL

New data released today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association show that patients with unipolar, non-psychotic Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) receiving transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with NeuroStar TMS Therapy achieved significant improvements in both depression symptoms and in quality of life measurements.

9 May 2012

Results reported for clinical trial for the treatment of depression using external trigeminal nerve stimulation

Earlier today, at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Dr. Ian Cook, Principal Investigator and Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, and a Senior Medical Advisor to NeuroSigma, Inc., presented the results of a Phase Ib open-label clinical trial that studied the effects of eTNS™ on depressive symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. Results from the 17-question Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), a clinician-rated scale, showed a 50.0% reduction in depression and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a self-reported scale, showed a 58.0% reduction in scores. Both scales achieved statistical significance. In the trial, subjects placed stimulating eTNS™ electrodes on their foreheads for 8 hours each night and their depression was measured every two weeks using recognized standard tests. eTNS was well tolerated and no serious adverse events occurred during the 8-week treatment period.

9 May 2012

Two studies suggest long-term value of Deplin in treating MDD

Two studies presented this week at the 164th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association suggest the long-term value of Deplin (L-methylfolate 15mg) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) and describe subsets of patients who may benefit more robustly from this medical food.

9 May 2012

eTNS therapy can impact symptoms in pharmacoresistant major depression

9 May 2012

Blood test to diagnose depression in adolescents

Researchers have developed a blood test that can diagnose depression in teens, a step they hope will lead to a better way to identify the disorder in young people. At present diagnosing depression depends entirely on a patient's willingness to report symptoms. For teens, the diagnosis is particularly challenging, given the natural emotional ups and downs of adolescence.

18 Apr 2012

Study supports tolerability of low-dose aripiprazole as an antidepressant therapy-augmenting agent

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics there is a negative study on the use of aripiprazole in depression.

18 Apr 2012

Ameritox, Ridge Diagnostics partner to develop MDDScore test

Ridge Diagnostics, Inc., a neurodiagnostic company, announced today it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Ameritox, Ltd., a leader in medication monitoring, for the license rights to its proprietary developmental blood test MDDScore, a multiple biomarker analysis for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for primary care and pain physicians.

6 Apr 2012

African-Americans and Hispanics with MDD less likely to get antidepressants

African-Americans and Hispanics with major depressive disorder are less likely to get antidepressants than Caucasian patients, and Medicare and Medicaid patients are less likely to get the newest generation of antidepressants.

6 Apr 2012

Regulatory agencies approve plans for e-Therapeutics' ETS2101 phase I trials in cancer

e-Therapeutics plc announces that regulatory agencies in the UK and the US have approved plans for phase I trials of the Company's anti-cancer drug ETS2101 and that enrolment of patients into trials in these two countries will begin shortly.

29 Mar 2012

Simple placebo pill can track footprints of prior antidepressant use

Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) often undergo multiple courses of antidepressant treatment during their lives. This is because the disorder can recur despite treatment and because finding the right medication for a specific individual can take time.

27 Mar 2012

AstraZeneca, Targacept announce top-line results from remaining TC-5214 Phase 3 studies on MDD

AstraZeneca and Targacept, Inc. today announced top-line results from the remaining Phase 3 studies investigating efficacy, tolerability and safety of TC-5214 as an adjunct therapy to an antidepressant in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who did not respond adequately to initial antidepressant treatment.

20 Mar 2012

Longer looks: Romney's evolution on abortion; The birth of the HIV epidemic

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney began his political career as a pro-choicer. In the story he tells, he had an epiphany, a flash of insight, and committed himself thereafter to protecting life. But that isn't what happened. The real story of Romney's conversion - a series of tentative, equivocal, and confused shifts, accompanied by a constant rewriting of his past - paints a more accurate picture of who he is.

2 Mar 2012

Gedeon Richter and Forest Labs' cariprazine Phase III trials on schizophrenia meet primary endpoint

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Gedeon Richter Plc. today announced positive top-line results in 2 Phase III clinical trials of cariprazine (RGH-188) for the treatment of acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.

28 Feb 2012

People with depression have increased connections among most brain areas

Most of us know what it means when it's said that someone is depressed. But commonly, true clinical depression brings with it a number of other symptoms. These can include anxiety, poor attention and concentration, memory issues, and sleep disturbances.

27 Feb 2012

Telomeres - the indicators of aging - are highly susceptible to stress and depression

Stress has numerous detrimental effects on the human body. Many of these effects are acutely felt by the sufferer, but many more go 'unseen', one of which is shortening of telomere length.

22 Feb 2012

Internet addiction, shyness, defiance and grief on bereavement could be mental disorders – Debate on proposed DSM-5

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has attracted a lot of debate on its proposed amendments to its newest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) the outlines psychiatric symptoms in the mental-health industry.

13 Feb 2012

Assay analyzing multiple biomarkers could be valuable aid to diagnose major depression

The initial assessment of a blood test to help diagnose major depressive disorder indicates it may become a useful clinical tool. In a paper published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, a team including Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers reports that a test analyzing levels of nine biomarkers accurately distinguished patients diagnosed with depression from control participants without significant false-positive results.

2 Feb 2012

Study finds no link between BDV and psychiatric illness

Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have linked Borna disease virus (BDV) with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and dementia. Genetic fragments and antibodies to this RNA virus, which causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and birds, have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients, but study results have been inconsistent. Now, the first blinded, case-control study to examine this issue finds no association between the virus and psychiatric illness.

1 Feb 2012

Depressive Disorder News and Research

Positive results from Alkermes’ ALKS 5461 phase 1/2 study on MDD

Most depressed patients must make multiple attempts before finding an effective antidepressant

Non-drug therapy with NeuroStar TMS improves depression symptoms and QOL

Results reported for clinical trial for the treatment of depression using external trigeminal nerve stimulation

Two studies suggest long-term value of Deplin in treating MDD

eTNS therapy can impact symptoms in pharmacoresistant major depression

Blood test to diagnose depression in adolescents

Study supports tolerability of low-dose aripiprazole as an antidepressant therapy-augmenting agent

Ameritox, Ridge Diagnostics partner to develop MDDScore test

African-Americans and Hispanics with MDD less likely to get antidepressants

Regulatory agencies approve plans for e-Therapeutics' ETS2101 phase I trials in cancer

Simple placebo pill can track footprints of prior antidepressant use

AstraZeneca, Targacept announce top-line results from remaining TC-5214 Phase 3 studies on MDD

Longer looks: Romney's evolution on abortion; The birth of the HIV epidemic

Gedeon Richter and Forest Labs' cariprazine Phase III trials on schizophrenia meet primary endpoint

People with depression have increased connections among most brain areas

Telomeres - the indicators of aging - are highly susceptible to stress and depression

Internet addiction, shyness, defiance and grief on bereavement could be mental disorders – Debate on proposed DSM-5

Assay analyzing multiple biomarkers could be valuable aid to diagnose major depression

Study finds no link between BDV and psychiatric illness

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