Treatment Response With Esketamine Nasal Spray Plus an Oral Antidepressant in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression Without Evidence of Early Response

) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) who did not meet response criteria within the first week of treatment. The current study is a pooled post hoc analysis of two phase 3, double-blind, active-controlled studies, conducted between August 2015 and February 2018, comparing ESK + AD with an oral antidepressant plus placebo (AD + PBO). Early treatment response was defined as a ≥ 50% decrease in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale total score at day 2 or days 2 and 8. Response rates at day 28 were determined among those not meeting early response criteria. = .01). In nonresponders at day 2 and at days 2 and 8, the odds ratio for a response at day 28 was 1.61 (95% CI, 1.09-2.40) with ESK + AD versus 1.56 (95% CI, 1.04-2.35) with AD + PBO. Patients with TRD without a demonstrated response within the first week of treatment may still derive benefit from a full 4-week induction course of esketamine nasal spray. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers NCT02417064 and NCT02418585.