Another potential treatment option
Commenting on the findings, James Murrough, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and of neuroscience and director of the Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, said he welcomes research into additional treatments for MDD.
Dr. James Murrough
“Each medicine in a particular class has a unique pharmacology, so a larger number of medication options may help the clinician find a good match for a particular patient,” said Dr. Murrough, who was not involved with the research.
He noted cariprazine is “somewhat unique” among the dopamine modulators in “preferring interactions with the D3 receptor, one of many types of dopamine receptors.”
Although the study results showed cariprazine was effective in MDD, it “does not entirely break new ground” because previous research has already established the drug’s efficacy as adjunctive therapy for patients with depression not responding to a standard antidepressant, said Dr. Murrough.
He also noted that the lower dose, but not the higher dose, of the drug was found to be significantly beneficial for patients, compared with placebo.
“This is a good reminder that higher doses of a medication are not always better,” Dr. Murrough said.
The study was funded by AbbVie. Dr. Sachs is a full-time employee of Signant Health, which conducted the training and quality control for this study. Dr. Murrough has reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.