Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-p566r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T23:31:26.333Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Ketamine: stimulating antidepressant treatment?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Gin S. Malhi*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Kolling Institute, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; CADE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
Yulisha Byrow
Affiliation:
CADE Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
Frederick Cassidy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Andrea Cipriani
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
Koen Demyttenaere
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Research Group of Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center, Leuven, Belgium
Mark A. Frye
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic Depression Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Michael Gitlin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Sidney H. Kennedy
Affiliation:
Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Chair in Suicide & Depression Studies, St. Michael's Hospital; Professor of Psychiatry, University Health Network and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Terence A. Ketter
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Chief, Bipolar Disorders Clinic, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Raymond W. Lam
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Rupert McShane
Affiliation:
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Alex J. Mitchell
Affiliation:
Liaison Psychiatry and Psycho-Oncology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Michael J. Ostacher
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Sakina J. Rizvi
Affiliation:
Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, ASR Suicide and Depression Studies Program, St. Michael's Hospital; Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Michael E. Thase
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Mauricio Tohen
Affiliation:
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
*
Gin S. Malhi, Department of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Email: Gin.malhi@sydney.edu.au
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The appeal of ketamine – in promptly ameliorating depressive symptoms even in those with non-response – has led to a dramatic increase in its off-label use. Initial promising results await robust corroboration and key questions remain, particularly concerning its long-term administration. It is, therefore, timely to review the opinions of mood disorder experts worldwide pertaining to ketamine's potential as an option for treating depression and provide a synthesis of perspectives – derived from evidence and clinical experience – and to consider strategies for future investigations.

Type
Editorial
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016

Professor Gin S. Malhi (pictured) is a mood disorders specialist and clinical academic with expertise in diagnosis, psychopharmacology, neurocognition and neuroimaging. Dr Yulisha Byrow is an expert in social anxiety disorder and mood disorders. Professor Frederick Cassidy is a mood disorders specialist with expertise in diagnosis, psychopharmacology, and electroconvulsive therapy. Professor Andrea Cipriani is a clinical academic with expertise in mood disorders and a specific interest in evidence synthesis. Professor Koen Demyttenaere is a mood disorders expert. Professor Mark A. Frye is an educator, clinician, and researcher with expertise in depression, bipolar, and addiction. Professor Michael Gitlin specializes in mood disorders and psychopharmacology. Professor Sidney Kennedy is a specialist in mood disorders and their treatment. He conducts integrated biomarker research on treatment outcome. Professor Terence A. Ketter is a bipolar disorder specialist and clinical academic with expertise in etiology, phenomenology, and treatment. Professor Raymond W. Lam is a psychiatrist and clinical researcher with expertise in clinical trials, workplace depression, and e-mental health. Dr Rupert McShane leads a service which provides ECT and ketamine treatments. Dr Alex J Mitchell is a consultant in liaison psychiatry and psycho-oncology with a long standing interest in mood disorders. Professor Michael J. Ostacher is a psychiatrist whose expertise is in clinical trials and evidence-based practices in mood disorders. Dr Sakina Rizvi is a researcher in mood disorders with a focus on reward mechanisms, neuroimaging and neuropsychopharmacology. Professor Michael E. Thase is an academic psychiatrist with expertise in mood disorders; his research focuses primarily on differential therapeutics. Professor Mauricio Tohen is a mood disorders expert

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, 1 and its treatment includes both psychological and pharmacological strategies, as well as social and lifestyle interventions. The same approaches can be used to maintain remission and achieve recovery Reference Malhi, Bassett, Boyce, Bryant, Fitzgerald and Fritz2 but, in practice, approximately two-thirds of depressed patients fail to achieve an adequate response to first-line pharmacotherapy, and ultimately as many as one-third of patients remain unwell even after several adequate trials of antidepressants. Reference Gaynes, Warden, Trivedi, Wisniewski, Fava and Rush3 These patients are regarded as having treatment-resistant depression – the definition of which remains contentious. Reference Malhi and Byrow4

Even so, the impact of treatment-resistant depression on personal, social and economic variables is substantial, and these individuals are generally more prone to attempt suicide than those who respond to treatment. Reference Crown, Finkelstein, Berndt, Ling, Poret and Rush5 Thus, there is an ever-present need for the development of novel antidepressant treatments that are effective and act rapidly, and this partly accounts for the resurgence of interest in ketamine.

Ketamine

Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, introduced in the 1960s as an anaesthetic alternative to the drug phencyclidine (PCP). Reference Domino6 Commercially known as Ketalar®, Ketaject®, Ketaset® and Vetalar®, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1970 for use in humans as a prescription anaesthetic. The precise mechanisms that underpin its purported antidepressant effects are still unknown, but NMDA antagonism is unlikely its sole mechanism of action given that: (i) its mood-altering effects outlast its bioavailability (potentially pointing to ongoing downstream effects beyond NMDA receptor blockade), and (ii) many alternative NMDA antagonists fail to ameliorate depressive symptoms satisfactorily. Reference Sanacora and Schatzberg7

Like many serendipitous discoveries in the first generation of psychopharmacology, the antidepressant effects of ketamine were initially met with scepticism and lack of interest. This is because it has been known for centuries that ‘depression’ can be countered using intoxicating substances to transiently lift one's spirits and/or numb psychic pain. Hence individuals who use drugs for recreational purposes are already familiar with the psychotomimetic and dissociative effects of ketamine; properties that in these circles accord ketamine a unique status reflected in its alternative name – ‘Special K’. Ketamine's potential for misuse may stem from its agonist effects on mu-opioid receptors Reference Sanacora and Schatzberg7 among other actions, and in some countries, most notably those in Asia, ketamine misuse is prolific. Reference Li, Vicknasingam, Cheung, Zhou, Nurhidayat and Jarlais8 However, thus far, in the USA and the UK, concern regarding the potential for misuse of ketamine – classified as a Schedule III compound by the Drug Enforcement Agency (USA) and Class B under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) (UK) – is much lower than, say, for heroin or cocaine. Hence, as attempts to develop truly novel antidepressants have repeatedly met with failure in the early part of the 21st century, interest in the putative antidepressant properties of ketamine and related drugs has steadily grown.

It is now more than 15 years since the initial discovery that intravenous delivery of sub-anaesthetic doses (i.e. 0.4–0.5 mg/kg) of ketamine could produce rapid, antidepressant-like effects. Reference Berman, Cappiello, Anand, Oren, Heninger and Charney9 The positive findings of several small but well-controlled studies Reference Zarate, Singh, Carlson, Brutsche, Ameli and Luckenbaugh10 at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) coupled with exciting findings from preclinical work on the potential role of glutamatergic neurotransmission in adaptation to chronic stress Reference Duman and Monteggia11 fuelled interest further and prompted speculation that ketamine's ‘antidepressant’ effects are, at least in part, mediated by NMDA receptors, and that perhaps the first truly novel mechanism of antidepressant response in more than 30 years has been identified. Reference Sanacora and Schatzberg7

Rationale and approach

Opinions regarding the use of ketamine to treat depression were canvassed from mood disorder experts (e.g. clinicians, academics and researchers) worldwide. Each expert was invited to address the following question: ‘Based on the current evidence available, is the use of ketamine justified in the treatment of depression? If no, then what further evidence is needed to establish its efficacy? If yes, then in what context (e.g. how, for whom) would you advocate its use?’

When answering this question, respondents considered the available evidence and drew on their personal clinical and research experience and expertise. All those who agreed to participate are acknowledged as co-authors and their respective responses and views have been synthesised according to several common themes that emerged: efficacy, tolerability and potential for misuse, administration (route and setting), and recommendations for future research.

Aim

To provide a considered perspective on the current status of ketamine with regard to its potential use in the treatment of depression.

Synthesis of responses

Efficacy

Randomised evidence supporting a short-term antidepressant effect of ketamine in adults with severe depression is quite limited, but exists, and points to a modest effect that is sustained for up to 1 week. Reference Caddy, Amit, McCloud, Rendell, Furukawa and McShane12 However, confidence in these findings is limited by the risk of performance bias and a lack of robust trials corroborating these findings thus far. Furthermore, although findings from several meta-analyses, for example, Reference McGirr, Berlim, Bond, Fleck, Yatham and Lam13,Reference Lee, Della Selva, Liu and Himelhoch14 demonstrate the efficacy of intravenous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, the studies included in these analyses involve mainly single-dose infusions, and the necessary studies of repeated infusions or longer term use needed to assess more sustained improvement remain sparse. Indeed to date, the only studies that have examined repeated doses of ketamine are open-label trials; for example, Murrough et al Reference Murrough, Perez, Pillemer, Stern, Parides and aan het Rot15 administered up to six doses of ketamine over 2 weeks to patients with MDD and found that 70.8% of patients responded to treatment. However, notably more than three quarters (76% of patients) relapsed within 18 days (median time) after the last intravenously administered dose. A separate study examining treatment-resistant depression in unipolar and bipolar depressed patients found that the efficacy of repeated doses of ketamine was much less, with fewer than a third (29%) of patients achieving an adequate response and a duration of response lasting between 25 and 168 days (median 70 days). Reference Diamond, Farmery, Atkinson, Haldar, Williams and Cowen16 In a similar vein, ketamine's rapid onset of action has led a number of researchers and practitioners to explore its suitability for diminishing suicidal ideation in the context of depression, and preliminary evidence suggests that it may indeed reduce suicidal thoughts. Reference Price and Mathew17,Reference Murrough, Soleimani, DeWilde, Collins, Lapidus and Iacoviello18 However, long-term effects on suicidal behaviour are unknown and await investigation. Reference Soleimani, Welch and Murrough19

Likewise in acute bipolar depression, a handful of studies suggests that ketamine may have rapid antidepressant effects. Reference McCloud, Caddy, Jochim, Rendell, Diamond and Shuttleworth20 In particular, in two NIMH-funded crossover studies, with 18 Reference Diazgranados, Ibrahim, Brutsche, Newberg, Kronstein and Khalife21 and 15 Reference Zarate, Brutsche, Ibrahim, Franco-Chaves, Diazgranados and Cravchik22 non-psychotic bipolar I or II depressed and treatment-resistant patients, adjunctive intravenous infusions of ketamine hydrochloride (0.5 mg/kg) versus placebo yielded improvements in MADRS scores at 40 min that persisted through day 3, and resulted in marked differences in rates of response.

The putative mechanism of action of ketamine is intriguing, and its seeming near-instantaneous benefit is something that is painfully lacking in other existing treatments. However, the question whether ketamine has a brief euphoriant effect instead of a genuine antidepressant response remains open. Reference Schatzberg23 Critical of current findings some researchers have suggested that adequate blinding to treatment assignment (neither saline nor midazolam are convincing placebos), Reference Caddy, Amit, McCloud, Rendell, Furukawa and McShane12 appropriate sample sizes, and robust replication are necessary before ketamine can be regarded as an effective antidepressant treatment for depression. Furthermore, much more needs to be learnt about the maintenance of response and long-term outcome before using ketamine more widely in clinical practice. Hence, though phase III trials of intranasal esketamine are underway, much needed clinical trials studying the repeated administration of intravenous and subcutaneous ketamine are urgently needed, and hopefully these studies will provide the necessary evidence to support or refute its clinical use in the treatment of depression.

Tolerability and potential for misuse

Ketamine's side-effects include transient hypertension, psychotomimetic or dissociative effects, and the potential for drug misuse and psychosis. Reference Liao, Tang, Ma, Wu, Yang and Wang24,Reference Olney, Labruyere, Wang, Wozniak, Price and Sesma25 Therefore, it is important that both short- and long-term side-effects are fully understood before considering widespread clinical use. Wan et al Reference Wan, Levitch, Perez, Brallier, Iosifescu and Chang26 pooled data from trials investigating ketamine in treatment-resistant depression and reported short-term dizziness, drowsiness, poor coordination, dissociative symptoms, psychotomimetic effects and haemodynamic changes. Interestingly, during long-term follow-up, none of these side-effects persisted and no patients experienced increased substance misuse. Indeed in most cases, side-effects and behavioural changes dissipated within 4 h after administration. However, it is important to note that in these studies ketamine was administered either as a single dose or in a series of up to six doses over a 2-week period. Therefore, whilst this pattern of side-effects reflects the consequences of short-term treatment, it may not reflect the sequelae of longer term administration. For instance, it is possible that long-term use of ketamine in the treatment of depression will be associated with significant adverse events, as is evident to some extent from parallel literature and in pain studies. Reference Li, Vicknasingam, Cheung, Zhou, Nurhidayat and Jarlais8,Reference Niesters, Martini and Dahan27 Furthermore, although most of the side-effects observed in studies examining ketamine treatment for depression thus far have been mild and transient, the reports of neurotoxicity in animals Reference Majewski-Tiedeken, Rabin and Siegel28 are sufficient to prompt caution when considering ketamine's long-term safety. Similar concerns apply to the use of ketamine in the treatment of bipolar depression, and additional research, with larger more representative groups of bipolar depressed patients, is needed to establish its efficacy and assess risks such as triggering and/or exacerbating psychotic/manic symptoms. Reference Rush29,Reference Moore, Cambridge, Morgan, Giorlando, Adapa and Fletcher30

In summary, the concerns regarding the use of ketamine, though well formulated, are not immediately evident in the short term; but before endorsing widespread use, future research should focus on longer term use for the treatment of both unipolar and bipolar depression.

Administration

Route

Almost all studies published to date have administered ketamine intravenously. But if ketamine is to be a viable clinical treatment, it needs to be both simple and cost-effective to administer. Intravenous infusion is possible in specialist units, but in routine clinical practice it may pose significant problems that will impact uptake and adherence. Alternative modes of ketamine administration, that are currently available, include parenteral, intranasal and oral. Intranasal delivery of ketamine has been examined in one controlled study in which depressive symptoms improved 24 h after administration, compared to saline placebo. Reference Lapidus, Levitch, Perez, Brallier, Parides and Soleimani31 However, given the small sample size in this study (n=20), these findings require replication before intranasal delivery of ketamine can be regarded as effective. Daily oral ketamine, over months or years, is used by some pain physicians at daily divided doses of 20–200 mg/day. However, oral ketamine generally has lower bioavailability and, as of yet, there is no evidence that it is as efficacious in the treatment of depression as intravenous ketamine. Reference Schoevers, Chaves, Balukova, aan het Rot and Kortekaas32 Therefore, intravenous delivery remains impractical for current routine psychiatric care (though slower infusion is an alternative possibility, which is being investigated), Reference Rasmussen, Lineberry, Galardy, Kung, Lapid and Palmer33 whereas oral and nasal ketamine need further thorough evaluation.

Another interesting and clinically relevant question worth considering is whether intravenous infusions could be used to establish responsiveness and act as a gate-keeping mechanism for longer term treatment via other routes. This practical ‘assessment’ may have greater specificity and prove to be more useful than current predictive clinical markers. Hence, further research with respect to dosing strategies (e.g. dose–response, infusion rate and frequency of treatments) and the relative benefits of different modes of delivery (intranasal, oral) is essential to make ketamine a viable antidepressant treatment option.

Setting (clinics)

Initially ketamine was used in limited academic research settings, but recently independent outpatient clinics have emerged for the treatment of depression, as well as other conditions such as pain. Increasingly, ketamine infusion is conducted by physicians other than psychiatrists, such as anaesthesiologists, neurologists, internists, and family practitioners, who, whilst qualified to administer ketamine, often have limited experience of treating depression per se. To standardise the use of ketamine and ensure that it is safe and effective, and to facilitate research, there may be merit in developing highly specialised ketamine clinics that can also address the unmet need of treatment-resistant depression. However, in order to minimise any ethical issues associated with such an environment, off-label prescription would need to be tightly regulated with appropriate support from administrative policies on practice standards, informed consent and regulations regarding clinical criteria for treatment, and outcome measures, Reference Frye, Blier and Tye34,Reference Kaufman35 along with sufficient safeguards to prevent drug diversion or misuse. Reference Schak, Vande Voort, Johnson, Kung, Leung and Rasmussen36 Such proposals have prompted broader questions such as, ‘How far should experimentation with antidepressants in clinical practice be regulated?’ The off-label use of licensed drugs already has clear legal standing and therefore perhaps a related question should be, ‘Is there something about ketamine that makes it so different from other off-label use of controlled drugs that it should be a legal special case?’

Growing, but limited, clinical experience with short-term ketamine for treatment-resistant depression suggests that its safety is at least comparable to other widely used drugs. For example, in one centre in Oxford with experience of treating over 70 patients with ketamine infusions, only one case of possible ketamine-related cystitis has occurred and this resolved with the cessation of ketamine and treatment with antibiotics. It is also notable that in this same UK centre, which conducts daily mood monitoring, there have been no reports of tolerance or tachyphylaxis. Albeit uncontrolled, such clinical knowledge is invaluable and may usefully inform future research and studies.

Another difficulty in implementing a treatment such as ketamine is that clinical governance surrounding medical interventions varies considerably from country to country. For example, in some countries it is possible to walk into a ketamine clinic and receive ketamine infusion treatment administered by medical professionals other than psychiatrists; this clinic's fee results in personal remuneration for the clinician. In the UK, referral by and correspondence with GPs and psychiatrists who know the patient, review of previous psychiatric treatments, an hour-long assessment interview to manage expectations, completion of consent forms, physical examination and blood tests may be required, and the clinicians involved may have no personal remuneration. In part this not only reflects the prevailing norms of medical practice in various countries but also highlights the range of possible practices and potential associated problems.

Recommendations for future research

Our understanding of ketamine as an antidepressant currently approximates to the ‘concept-proved’ level of drug development, and hence further steps are clearly warranted. The priority for the next stage of development is to determine the optimal course and duration of acute ketamine therapy for those who show a robust response to initial therapy. As durations of therapeutic exposure increase, it will be possible to collect further data to ensure that ongoing therapy is safe and that neither tolerance nor neurotoxicity (nor other rarer, unexpected toxicities) develops across months of therapy. Furthermore, the highest level of quality data being garnered from academically driven centres should not preclude systematic collection of data, regarding both efficacy and adverse effects, from the numerous non-academic ketamine programmes. In fact, trying to create data registries may help improve quality of care in all ketamine clinics.

Of course, there are many important topics for ongoing research including, for instance, studying differences in biosignatures of ketamine response and non-response and, if possible, identifying in advance patients who might be outstanding candidates, as well as those who might have little prospect of benefitting. Another intriguing question is whether a short course of intravenous ketamine therapy can restore, or induce, responsivity to conventional antidepressants. This may also provide a means for minimising ketamine exposure and concerns about later emerging toxicity.

Studies involving neuroimaging Reference Li, Chen, Lin, Hong, Yang and Liu37 and animal studies Reference Harraz, Tyagi, Cortés and Snyder38 are likely to assist in elucidating the precise mechanism of action associated with ketamine treatment. Research along these lines may facilitate development of the next generation of glutamatergic antidepressants, in which ketamine data channels research towards more rapid acting agents with mechanisms of action that differ from the usual manipulations of monoamine neurotransmitters. One example is the recent development of the glutamatergic agent rapastinel (GLYX-13). Reference Preskorn, Macaluso, Mehra, Zammit, Moskal and Burch39,Reference Newport, Carpenter, McDonald, Potash, Tohen and Nemeroff40

Discussion

Research to date shows that ketamine has a transient antidepressant-like effect, and in short term it is well tolerated, though the optimal and most acceptable mode of delivery is yet to be determined. Longer term use of ketamine for the treatment of depression needs evidence from randomised controlled trials that critically evaluate its efficacy and tolerability. At the same time, it is important to decide to what extent the use of ketamine needs to be ‘policed’ with respect to its prescription by psychiatrists and GPs when treating non-treatment-resistant depression in the community.

Perhaps, as with any novel treatment for depression, it is useful to review some of the key features of an ‘ideal antidepressant’ (Box 1) – the standard to which ketamine should perhaps be held. Currently, ketamine does not fulfil a number of these criteria and in fact falls far short of the ideal. But this is also true of all other antidepressants. Thus, whilst ketamine cannot yet be endorsed as an antidepressant for general use on the basis of current evidence, it should not be dismissed completely. Further study may reveal that ketamine is useful in the management of treatment-resistant depression and that it provides a stepping stone to the development of new and more effective medications – especially those with similar glutamatergic actions that potentially activate a broader set of neurotransmitters and neural networks than conventional antidepressants. Similarly, research into ketamine's short-term effects has opened up interesting possibilities – for example, a potential ‘facilitatory role’ in which short acting agents, such as ketamine, may be able to initiate a response that can then be sustained by conventional antidepressants.

Box 1 Features of an ideal antidepressant

  • Sustained efficacy that minimises frequency of dosing and enhances compliance

  • Well tolerated with minimal short-term and longer term side-effects

  • Safe at clinical doses and ideally safe during overdose

  • Simple for clinicians to administer and for patients to take, maximising compliance

  • Minimal discontinuation symptoms, low-misuse potential and non-addictive

  • Widely available and accessible, with good cost-effectiveness

  • Effective at population level: community and/or primary care

Stimulating times ahead

The use of ketamine to treat depression is a contentious issue that will continue to polarise views until more is learnt about the effects of this molecule. In the meantime it is imperative that high-quality clinical evidence is garnered, and that as more evidence comes to light the issues outlined in this article are systematically and critically appraised. Given the poor state of new drug development in mood disorders, Reference Malhi, Lingford-Hughes and Young41 it is important that a potential opportunity to better understand depression and possibly develop new medications for its treatment is not squandered. However, it is also important that the benefits and risks of ketamine therapy are firmly established prior to making any clinical recommendations and encouraging widespread administration.

Footnotes

Declaration of interests

G.S.M. Grant/research support: National Health Medical Research Council, NSW Health, Ramsay Health, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly & Co, Organon, Pfizer, Servier, and Wyeth; has been a speaker for Abbott, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly & Co, Janssen Cilag, Lundbeck, Pfizer, Ranbaxy, Servier, and Wyeth; consultant: AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly & Co, Janssen Cilag, Lundbeck, and Servier. M.A.F. Grant support: AssureRx, Janssen Research & Development, Mayo Foundation, Myriad, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Pfizer. Consultant (Mayo): Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Myriad Genetics, Neuralstem Inc., Sunovion, Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals. CME/travel support: American Physician Institute, CME Outfitters. Financial interest/Mayo Clinic 2016: AssureRx. S.H.K. Grant/research support: Brain Canada, Bristol Meyer Squibb, CIHR, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Lundbeck, Ontario Brain Institute, Pfizer, Servier, St. Jude Medical, Sunovion. T.A.K. Grant/research support (through Stanford University): Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and Merck & Co., Inc.; consultant/advisory board bember: Allergan, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc., and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; lecture honoraria (not Speaker's Bureau payments): GlaxoSmithKline, and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; royalties from American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Also, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP provided publication support to Parexel for preparation of a manuscript. Spouse employee and stockholder of Janssen Pharmaceuticals. R.W.L. Honoraria for speaking/advising/consulting, and/or received research funds: AstraZeneca, Brain Canada, Bristol Myers Squibb, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network, Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Coast Capital Savings, Johnson and Johnson, Lundbeck, Lundbeck Institute, Pfizer, Servier, St. Jude Medical, Takeda University, Health Network Foundation, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. R.M. Investigator Janssen trials of esketamine; ‘paid-for’ ketamine clinic operated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust - fees used to support the Trust. M.J.O. Consultant: Sunovion and Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Full-time employee of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. M.E.T. Advisory/Consultant: Alkermes, Allergan, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Cerecor inc., Eli Lilly & Co., Forest Laboratories, Gerson Lehrman Group, Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, Guidepoint Global, H. Lundbeck A/S, MedAvante Inc., Merck and Co. Inc. (formerly Schering Plough and Organon), Moksha8, Naurex Inc., Neuronetics Inc., Novartis, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson; Janssen), Otsuka, Pamlab, L.L.C. (Nestle), Pfizer (formerly Wyeth Ayerst Pharmaceuticals), Shire US Inc., Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Trius Therapeutical Inc. and Takeda. Grant support: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Alkermes, AssureRx, Avanir, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, National Institute of Mental Health, and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Speakers Bureau: None since June, 2010. Equity Holdings: MedAvante, Inc. Royalties: American Psychiatric Foundation, Guilford Publications, Herald House, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Spouse's employment: Peloton Advantage, which does business with Pfizer. M.T. Full-time employee at Lilly 1997 to 2008. Honoraria/consulted: Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Allergan, Otsuka, Merck, Sunovion, Forest, Geodon Richter Plc, Roche, Elan, Alkermes, Lundbeck, Teva, Pamlab, Minerva, Wyeth and Wiley Publishing. Spouse was full time-employee at Lilly 1998–2013.

References

1 World Health Organization (WHO). The Global Burden of Disease 2004 Update. WHO, 2008. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_full.pdf Google Scholar
2 Malhi, GS, Bassett, D, Boyce, P, Bryant, R, Fitzgerald, PB, Fritz, K, et al. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2015; 49: 1087–206.Google Scholar
3 Gaynes, BN, Warden, D, Trivedi, MH, Wisniewski, SR, Fava, M, Rush, AJ. What did STAR*D teach us? Results from a large-scale, practical, clinical trial for patients with depression. Psychiatr Serv 2009; 60: 1439–45.Google Scholar
4 Malhi, GS, Byrow, Y. Is treatment-resistant depression a useful concept? Evid Based Mental Health 2016; 19: 13.Google Scholar
5 Crown, WH, Finkelstein, S, Berndt, ER, Ling, D, Poret, AW, Rush, AJ, et al. The impact of treatment-resistant depression on health care utilization and costs. J Clin Psychiatry 2002; 63: 963–71.Google Scholar
6 Domino, EF. Taming the ketamine tiger. Anesthesiology 2010; 113: 678–86.Google Scholar
7 Sanacora, G, Schatzberg, AF. Ketamine: promising path or false prophecy in the development of novel therapeutics for mood disorders? Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40: 259–67.Google ScholarPubMed
8 Li, JH, Vicknasingam, B, Cheung, YW, Zhou, W, Nurhidayat, AW, Jarlais, DC, et al. To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use. Subst Abuse Rehabil 2011; 2: 1120.Google Scholar
9 Berman, RM, Cappiello, A, Anand, A, Oren, DA, Heninger, GR, Charney, DS, et al. Antidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients. Biol Psychiatry 2000; 47: 351–4.Google Scholar
10 Zarate, CA, Singh, JB, Carlson, PJ, Brutsche, NE, Ameli, R, Luckenbaugh, DA, et al. A randomized trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in treatment-resistant major depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006; 63: 856–64.Google Scholar
11 Duman, RS, Monteggia, LM. A neurotrophic model for stress-related mood disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2006; 59: 1116–27.Google Scholar
12 Caddy, C, Amit, BH, McCloud, TL, Rendell, JM, Furukawa, TA, McShane, R, et al. Ketamine and other glutamate receptor modulators for depression in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; 9: CD01162.Google Scholar
13 McGirr, A, Berlim, MT, Bond, DJ, Fleck, MP, Yatham, LN, Lam, RW. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of ketamine in the rapid treatment of major depressive episodes. Psychol Med 2015; 45: 693704.Google Scholar
14 Lee, EE, Della Selva, MP, Liu, A, Himelhoch, S. Ketamine as a novel treatment for major depressive disorder and bipolar depression: a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2015; 37: 178–84.Google Scholar
15 Murrough, JW, Perez, AM, Pillemer, S, Stern, J, Parides, MK, aan het Rot, M, et al. Rapid and longer-term antidepressant effects of repeated Ketamine infusions in treatment-resistant major depression. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 74: 250–6.Google Scholar
16 Diamond, PR, Farmery, AD, Atkinson, S, Haldar, J, Williams, N, Cowen, PJ, et al. Ketamine infusions for treatment resistant depression: a series of 28 patients treated weekly or twice weekly in an ECT clinic. J Psychopharmacol 2014; 28: 536–44.Google Scholar
17 Price, RB, Mathew, SJ. Does ketamine have anti-suicidal properties? Current status and future directions. CNS Drugs 2015; 29: 181–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18 Murrough, JW, Soleimani, L, DeWilde, KE, Collins, KA, Lapidus, KA, Iacoviello, BM, et al. Ketamine for rapid reduction of suicidal ideation: a randomized controlled trial. Psychol Med 2015; 45: 3571–80.Google Scholar
19 Soleimani, L, Welch, A, Murrough, JW. Does ketamine have rapid anti-suicidal ideation effects? Curr Treat Options Psych 2015; 2: 383–93.Google Scholar
20 McCloud, TL, Caddy, C, Jochim, J, Rendell, JM, Diamond, PR, Shuttleworth, C, et al. Ketamine and other glutamate receptor modulators for depression in bipolar disorder in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; 9: CD011611.Google Scholar
21 Diazgranados, N, Ibrahim, L, Brutsche, NE, Newberg, A, Kronstein, P, Khalife, S, et al. A randomized add-on trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in treatment-resistant bipolar depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2010; 67: 793802.Google Scholar
22 Zarate, CA, Brutsche, NE, Ibrahim, L, Franco-Chaves, J, Diazgranados, N, Cravchik, A, et al. Replication of ketamine's antidepressant efficacy in bipolar depression: a randomized controlled add-on trial. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 71: 939–46.Google Scholar
23 Schatzberg, AF. A word to the wise about ketamine. Am J Psychiatry 2014; 171: 262–4.Google Scholar
24 Liao, Y, Tang, J, Ma, M, Wu, Z, Yang, M, Wang, X, et al. Frontal white matter abnormalities following chronic ketamine use: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Brain 2010; 133: 2115–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25 Olney, JW, Labruyere, J, Wang, G, Wozniak, DF, Price, MT, Sesma, MA. NMDA antagonist neurotoxicity: mechanism and prevention. Science 1991; 254: 1515–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26 Wan, L-B, Levitch, CF, Perez, AM, Brallier, JW, Iosifescu, DV, Chang, LC, et al. Ketamine safety and tolerability in clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression. J Clin Psychiatry 2015; 76: 247–52.Google Scholar
27 Niesters, M, Martini, C, Dahan, A. Ketamine for chronic pain: risks and benefits. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2014; 77: 357367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28 Majewski-Tiedeken, CR, Rabin, CR, Siegel, SJ. Ketamine exposure in adult mice leads to increased cell death in C3H, DBA2 and FVB inbred mouse strains. Drug Alcohol Depend 2008; 92: 217–27.Google Scholar
29 Rush, JA. Ketamine for treatment-resistant depression: ready or not for clinical use? Am J Psychiatry 2013; 170: 1079–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30 Moore, JW, Cambridge, VC, Morgan, H, Giorlando, F, Adapa, R, Fletcher, PC. Time, action and psychosis: using subjective time to investigate the effects of ketamine on sense of agency. Neuropsychologia 2013; 51: 377–84.Google Scholar
31 Lapidus, KAB, Levitch, CF, Perez, AM, Brallier, JW, Parides, MK, Soleimani, L, et al. A randomized controlled trial of Intranasal Ketamine in major depressive disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2014; 76: 970–6.Google Scholar
32 Schoevers, RA, Chaves, TV, Balukova, SM, aan het Rot, M, Kortekaas, R. Oral ketamine for the treatment of pain and treatment-resistant depression. Br J Psychiatry 2016; 208: 108–13.Google Scholar
33 Rasmussen, KG, Lineberry, TW, Galardy, CW, Kung, S, Lapid, MI, Palmer, BA, et al. Serial infusions of low-dose ketamine for major depression. J Psychopharmacol 2013; 27: 444–50.Google Scholar
34 Frye, MA, Blier, P, Tye, SJ. Concomitant benzodiazepine use attenuates ketamine response: implications for large scale study design and clinical development. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2015; 35: 334–6.Google Scholar
35 Kaufman, KR. Ethical considerations in placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. Br J Psychiatry Open 2015; 1: e34.Google Scholar
36 Schak, KM, Vande Voort, JL, Johnson, EK, Kung, S, Leung, JG, Rasmussen, KG, et al. Potential risks of poorly monitored ketamine use in depression treatment. Am J Psychiatry 2016; 173: 215–8.Google Scholar
37 Li, CT, Chen, MH, Lin, WC, Hong, CJ, Yang, BH, Liu, RS, et al. The effects of low-dose ketamine on the prefrontal cortex and amygdala in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized controlled study. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37: 1080–90.Google Scholar
38 Harraz, MM, Tyagi, R, Cortés, P, Snyder, SH. Antidepressant action of ketamine via mTOR is mediated by inhibition of nitrergic Rheb degradation. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21: 313–9.Google Scholar
39 Preskorn, S, Macaluso, M, Mehra, DO, Zammit, G, Moskal, JR, Burch, RM, et al. Randomized proof of concept trial of GLYX-13, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor glycine site partial agonist, in major depressive disorder nonresponsive to a previous antidepressant agent. J Psychiatr Pract 2015; 21: 140–9.Google Scholar
40 Newport, DJ, Carpenter, LL, McDonald, WM, Potash, JB, Tohen, M, Nemeroff, CB, et al. APA Council of Research Task Force on Novel Biomarkers and Treatments. Ketamine and other NMDA antagonists: early clinical trials and possible mechanisms in depression. Am J Psychiatry 2015; 172: 950–66.Google Scholar
41 Malhi, GS, Lingford-Hughes, AR, Young, AH. Antidepressant treatment response: ‘I want it all, and I want it now’ Br J Psychiatry 2016; 208: 101103.Google Scholar
Figure 0

Box 1 Features of an ideal antidepressant

Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.