Fast-acting drug for depression could soon hit the UK

A FAST-ACTING antidepressant has been approved for use in the US, with the maker indicating that it is now looking to launch the drug in Europe.

The tablets, which take a week to begin working rather than a month with current treatments, contain dextromethorphan, a cough medication that has an effect on parts of the brain, and bupropion, sold under the brand name Zyban as a smoking cessation aid.

The medicine, set to be marketed in America as Auvelity, is the first pill in more than 60 years to treat clinical depression using a new mechanism of action, said maker Axsome Therapeutics.

At present, the most commonly used antidepressants are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Seroxat) and citalopram (Cipramil).

These work by increasing levels of the chemical messenger serotonin in the brain.

Serotonin is involved in regulating mood, as well as other bodily functions such as appetite. Experts have long believed depression might be caused by low levels of serotonin, and so boosting it could help treat the problem which affects roughly one in 20 adults in the UK. However, more recent research suggests a more complex picture,

‘The sooner that something helps a patient, the better’

leading researchers to look at whether other factors are at play.

It takes between two to four weeks for any effect from SSRIs to be seen – a downside when treating patients in a crisis. And while the drugs are effective in many cases, a third of people with depression do not find relief from any current antidepressants.

In a clinical trial, 163 patients with depression taking Auvelity said their symptoms significantly improved within a week of beginning the drug, compared with 164 patients who took a placebo, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry earlier this year.

Dextromethorphan and bupropion are believed to block the NMDA receptor in neurons in the brain, which is known to have a rapid effect on regulating mood.

Side effects include dizziness, headache, diarrhoea, lethargy, dry mouth, sexual function problems and excessive sweating.

Carmine Pariante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at King’s College London, said: ‘Depression can interfere with work, relationships and make life unbearable. And, of course, in some cases there is the risk of suicide. The sooner you can find something that helps, the better.

‘You can see some improvement within a couple of weeks with SSRIs, but it often takes longer for them to have a noticeable effect and about a third of patients don’t respond at all.

‘A drug that worked in a different way, and faster, would be a welcome addition.’