Cited by 731Treatment of Major DepressionElectroconvulsive Therapy StudiesTryptophan and brain disorders

Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation

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McIntyre, Roger S., Rosenblat, Joshua D., Nemeroff, Charles B., Sanacora, Gerard, Murrough, James W., Berk, Michael, Brietzke, Elisa, Dodd, Seetal +17 more·2021·American Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract

Replicated international studies have underscored the human and societal costs associated with major depressive disorder. Despite the proven efficacy of monoamine-based antidepressants in major depression, the majority of treated individuals fail to achieve full syndromal and functional recovery with the index and subsequent pharmacological treatments. Ketamine and esketamine represent pharmacologically novel treatment avenues for adults with treatment-resistant depression. In addition to providing hope to affected persons, these agents represent the first non-monoaminergic agents with proven rapid-onset efficacy in major depressive disorder. Nevertheless, concerns remain about the safety and tolerability of ketamine and esketamine in mood disorders. Moreover, there is uncertainty about the appropriate position of these agents in treatment algorithms, their comparative effectiveness, and the appropriate setting, infrastructure, and personnel required for their competent and safe implementation. In this article, an international group of mood disorder experts provides a synthesis of the literature with respect to the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ketamine and esketamine in adults with treatment-resistant depression. The authors also provide guidance for the implementation of these agents in clinical practice, with particular attention to practice parameters at point of care. Areas of consensus and future research vistas are discussed.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20081251

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  • Available evidence indicates that the efficacy of ketamine/esketamine in the acute treatment of TRD is also apparent in individuals with greater degrees of antidepressant resistance.

    “Available evidence also indicates that the efficacy of ketamine/esketamine in the acute treat­ ment of TRD is also apparent in individuals with greater de­ grees of antidepressant resistance 205 .”

    From Treatment‐resistant depression: definition, prevalence, detection, management, and investigational interventions (2023) · cites this paper as [205]

    The ‘Ketamine and Esketamine Efficacy in TRD’ section reports short-term efficacy for both treatments in adults with TRD. But ‘Patient Selection’ says ketamine’s efficacy may be attenuated with greater treatment resistance in some studies, while whether esketamine’s efficacy is attenuated is unknown. The source therefore does not establish the claim as stated for both treatments in more highly resistant patients. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The risks for the foregoing safety concerns would be expected to be mitigated when administering ketamine/esketamine under medical supervision in accordance with best practices.

    “The risks for the foregoing safety concerns would be expected to be mitigated when administering ketamine/esketamine under medical supervision in accordance with best practices 205 .”
  • A recent review of literature emphasises that tolerance of ketamine is good.

    “This result is in line with a recent review of literature emphasising that tolerance of ketamine is good.32”

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Cites

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Authors
McIntyre, R. S., Rosenblat, J. D., Nemeroff, C. B., Sanacora, G., Murrough, J. W., Berk, M., Brietzke, E., Dodd, S., Gorwood, P., Ho, R., Iosifescu, D. V., Lopez Jaramillo, C., Kasper, S., Kratiuk, K., Lee, J. G., Lee, Y., Lui, L. M. W., Mansur, R. B., Papakostas, G. I., Subramaniapillai, M., Thase, M., Vieta, E., Young, A. H., Zarate, C. A., & Stahl, S.
Affiliations
  • University Health Network (CA)
  • Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Toronto (McIntyre, Rosenblat, Y. Lee, Lui, Mansur); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (McIntyre, Rosenblat, Mansur); Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto (McIntyre); Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation, Toronto (McIntyre, Subramaniapillai); Canadian Rapid Treatment Center of Excellence, Mississauga, Ontario (Rosenblat, Kratiuk); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Austin Dell...
Venue
American Journal of Psychiatry
Published
2021-05-01
Volume
178
Issue
5
Pages
383-399
ISSN
  • 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-7228
OpenAlex
W3137976016
Cited by
731
References
168
Citations by year
2026: 129 · 2025: 167 · 2024: 165 · 2023: 141 · 2022: 83 · 2021: 44
FWCI
13.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Rare & Special e-Zone (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR202380)
  • National Institutes of Health (Z99 MH999999)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (ZIAMH002857, ZIAMH002927)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
Keywords
ketamine, esketamine, treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder, drug safety and tolerability, clinical implementation, treatment algorithm, expert consensus
MeSH terms
Implementation Science, Antidepressive Agents, Delivery of Health Care, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Dissociative Disorders, Humans, Hypertension, Ketamine, Monitoring, Physiologic, Personnel Staffing and Scheduling, Psychoses, Substance-Induced, Patient Selection, Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists, Substance-Related Disorders, Suicidal Ideation, Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant

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