In adults with major depressive disorder, adding aripiprazole to antidepressant therapy (ADT) resulted in significant improvement in the primary endpoint, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score. In this six-week, randomized, placebo-controlled study presented here at the 160th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole was added to antidepressants in patients who did not have an adequate response to ADT alone. (1)(Berman, 2007, APA Poster) These findings are from one of two completed studies evaluating adjunctive aripiprazole with ADT.

Investigational studies are important because many patients with major depressive disorder do not achieve adequate symptom response, said study investigator Arif Khan, M.D., Medical Director, Northwest Clinical Research Center, Bellevue, Wash., and Adjunct Professor, Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, N.C. The findings from this study contribute more information about the potential use of add-on medications to antidepressant therapy in patients who inadequately respond to antidepressants alone.

Study Design and Findings

This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center, six-week study enrolled adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder who had an inadequate response to one or more ADTs. After a seven to 28-day screening phase, adults in this study underwent an eight-week prospective treatment phase with one ADT plus single-blind placebo to confirm their inadequate response to ADT. The ADTs included escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine controlled release, sertraline or venlafaxine extended release, dosed per label guidelines. A total of 362 adults with inadequate response then entered the six-week randomized treatment phase during which they continued their ADT plus double-blind adjunctive placebo or adjunctive aripiprazo
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Contact: David Rosen
david.m.rosen@bms.com
609-252-5675
Bristol-Myers Squibb
22-May-2007

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