Vortioxetine for Post-COVID-19 Condition

Summary

A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate vortioxetine, an antidepressant with established pro-cognitive properties, for the treatment of cognitive deficits which develop during or after an infection consistent with COVID-19, continue for 2+ months, and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis (i.e., post-COVID-19 condition). Participants (aged 18-64 years) will receive vortioxetine (10-20 mg) or placebo for 8 weeks. Participants 65+ years will receive vortioxetine (5-10 mg) or placebo for 8 weeks. Changes in cognitive functioning from baseline to endpoint (week 8) will be assessed via the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Study visits may be conducted remotely (e.g. via Zoom, by telephone), and/or in-person.

Timeline

Start

2021-09-16

Primary completion

2023-02-22

Completion

2023-02-22

Publications

• Background Mahase E. Covid-19: What do we know about "long covid"? BMJ. 2020 Jul 14;370:m2815. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2815. No abstract available.
• Background Burke MJ, Del Rio C. Long COVID has exposed medicine's blind-spot. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021 Aug;21(8):1062-1064. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00333-9. Epub 2021 Jun 18. No abstract available.
• Background Carfi A, Bernabei R, Landi F; Gemelli Against COVID-19 Post-Acute Care Study Group. Persistent Symptoms in Patients After Acute COVID-19. JAMA. 2020 Aug 11;324(6):603-605. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.12603.
• Background Sudre CH, Murray B, Varsavsky T, Graham MS, Penfold RS, Bowyer RC, Pujol JC, Klaser K, Antonelli M, Canas LS, Molteni E, Modat M, Jorge Cardoso M, May A, Ganesh S, Davies R, Nguyen LH, Drew DA, Astley CM, Joshi AD, Merino J, Tsereteli N, Fall T, Gomez MF, Duncan EL, Menni C, Williams FMK, Franks PW, Chan AT, Wolf J, Ourselin S, Spector T, Steves CJ. Attributes and predictors of long COVID. Nat Med. 2021 Apr;27(4):626-631. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01292-y. Epub 2021 Mar 10.
• Background Mahase E. Long covid could be four different syndromes, review suggests. BMJ. 2020 Oct 14;371:m3981. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3981. No abstract available.
• Background Puntmann VO, Carerj ML, Wieters I, Fahim M, Arendt C, Hoffmann J, Shchendrygina A, Escher F, Vasa-Nicotera M, Zeiher AM, Vehreschild M, Nagel E. Outcomes of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients Recently Recovered From Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). JAMA Cardiol. 2020 Nov 1;5(11):1265-1273. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2020.3557.
• Background Lenze EJ, Mattar C, Zorumski CF, Stevens A, Schweiger J, Nicol GE, Miller JP, Yang L, Yingling M, Avidan MS, Reiersen AM. Fluvoxamine vs Placebo and Clinical Deterioration in Outpatients With Symptomatic COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2020 Dec 8;324(22):2292-2300. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.22760.
• Background Hoertel N, Sanchez-Rico M, Vernet R, Beeker N, Jannot AS, Neuraz A, Salamanca E, Paris N, Daniel C, Gramfort A, Lemaitre G, Bernaux M, Bellamine A, Lemogne C, Airagnes G, Burgun A, Limosin F; AP-HP / Universities / INSERM COVID-19 Research Collaboration and AP-HP COVID CDR Initiative. Association between antidepressant use and reduced risk of intubation or death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: results from an observational study. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Sep;26(9):5199-5212. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01021-4. Epub 2021 Feb 4.
• Background Christensen MC, Loft H, McIntyre RS. Vortioxetine improves symptomatic and functional outcomes in major depressive disorder: A novel dual outcome measure in depressive disorders. J Affect Disord. 2018 Feb;227:787-794. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.081. Epub 2017 Nov 16.
• Background McIntyre RS, Florea I, Tonnoir B, Loft H, Lam RW, Christensen MC. Efficacy of Vortioxetine on Cognitive Functioning in Working Patients With Major Depressive Disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2017 Jan;78(1):115-121. doi: 10.4088/JCP.16m10744.
• Background McIntyre RS, Harrison J, Loft H, Jacobson W, Olsen CK. The Effects of Vortioxetine on Cognitive Function in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Three Randomized Controlled Trials. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2016 Jun 15;19(10):pyw055. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyw055.
• Background Cao B, Park C, Subramaniapillai M, Lee Y, Iacobucci M, Mansur RB, Zuckerman H, Phan L, McIntyre RS. The Efficacy of Vortioxetine on Anhedonia in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 31;10:17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00017. eCollection 2019.
• Background Subramaniapillai M, Mansur RB, Zuckerman H, Park C, Lee Y, Iacobucci M, Cao B, Ho R, Lin K, Phan L, McIntyre RS. Association between cognitive function and performance on effort based decision making in patients with major depressive disorder treated with Vortioxetine. Compr Psychiatry. 2019 Oct;94:152113. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.07.006. Epub 2019 Jul 24.
• Background Fagiolini A, Florea I, Loft H, Christensen MC. Effectiveness of Vortioxetine on Emotional Blunting in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder with inadequate response to SSRI/SNRI treatment. J Affect Disord. 2021 Mar 15;283:472-479. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.11.106. Epub 2020 Nov 19.
• Background Cao B, Park C, Rosenblat JD, Chen Y, Iacobucci M, Subramaniapillai M, Mansur RB, Zuckerman H, Lee Y, McIntyre RS. Changes in sleep predict changes in depressive symptoms in depressed subjects receiving vortioxetine: An open-label clinical trial. J Psychopharmacol. 2019 Nov;33(11):1388-1394. doi: 10.1177/0269881119874485. Epub 2019 Sep 18.
• Background Talmon M, Rossi S, Pastore A, Cattaneo CI, Brunelleschi S, Fresu LG. Vortioxetine exerts anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects on human monocytes/macrophages. Br J Pharmacol. 2018 Jan;175(1):113-124. doi: 10.1111/bph.14074. Epub 2017 Nov 28.
• Background Tomaz VS, Chaves Filho AJM, Cordeiro RC, Juca PM, Soares MVR, Barroso PN, Cristino LMF, Jiang W, Teixeira AL, de Lucena DF, Macedo DS. Antidepressants of different classes cause distinct behavioral and brain pro- and anti-inflammatory changes in mice submitted to an inflammatory model of depression. J Affect Disord. 2020 May 1;268:188-200. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.022. Epub 2020 Mar 6.
• Background Mahableshwarkar AR, Zajecka J, Jacobson W, Chen Y, Keefe RS. A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Active-Reference, Double-Blind, Flexible-Dose Study of the Efficacy of Vortioxetine on Cognitive Function in Major Depressive Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 Jul;40(8):2025-37. doi: 10.1038/npp.2015.52. Epub 2015 Feb 17.
• Background Ceban F, Ling S, Lui LMW, Lee Y, Gill H, Teopiz KM, Rodrigues NB, Subramaniapillai M, Di Vincenzo JD, Cao B, Lin K, Mansur RB, Ho RC, Rosenblat JD, Miskowiak KW, Vinberg M, Maletic V, McIntyre RS. Fatigue and cognitive impairment in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2022 Mar;101:93-135. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.12.020. Epub 2021 Dec 29.
• Background Soriano JB, Murthy S, Marshall JC, Relan P, Diaz JV; WHO Clinical Case Definition Working Group on Post-COVID-19 Condition. A clinical case definition of post-COVID-19 condition by a Delphi consensus. Lancet Infect Dis. 2022 Apr;22(4):e102-e107. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00703-9. Epub 2021 Dec 21.
• Background Davis HE, Assaf GS, McCorkell L, Wei H, Low RJ, Re'em Y, Redfield S, Austin JP, Akrami A. Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact. EClinicalMedicine. 2021 Aug;38:101019. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101019. Epub 2021 Jul 15.
• Liao S, Teopiz KM, Kwan ATH, Le GH, Wong S, Ballum H, Rhee TG, Badulescu S, Cao B, Guo Z, Meshkat S, Phan L, Subramaniapillai M, Ho R, McIntyre RS. Relationship between anhedonia and psychosocial functioning in post-COVID-19 condition: a post-hoc analysis. Curr Med Res Opin. 2024 Aug;40(8):1407-1411. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2024.2374510. Epub 2024 Jul 8.
• Teopiz KM, Kwan ATH, Le GH, Guo Z, Badulescu S, Ceban F, Meshkat S, Di Vincenzo JD, d'Andrea G, Cao B, Ho R, Rhee TG, Dev DA, Phan L, Subramaniapillai M, Mansur RB, Rosenblat JD, McIntyre RS. Association between fatigue and depressive symptoms in persons with post-COVID-19 condition: a post hoc analysis. Curr Med Res Opin. 2024 Jul;40(7):1203-1209. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2024.2360647. Epub 2024 Jun 11.
• Kwan ATH, Guo Z, Ceban F, Le GH, Wong S, Teopiz KM, Rhee TG, Ho R, Di Vincenzo JD, Badulescu S, Meshkat S, Cao B, Rosenblat JD, d'Andrea G, Dev DA, Phan L, Subramaniapillai M, McIntyre RS. Assessing the Effects of Metabolic Disruption, Body Mass Index and Inflammation on Depressive Symptoms in Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Vortioxetine. Adv Ther. 2024 May;41(5):1983-1994. doi: 10.1007/s12325-024-02826-9. Epub 2024 Mar 23.
• Kwan ATH, Le GH, Guo Z, Ceban F, Teopiz KM, Rhee TG, Ho R, Di Vincenzo JD, Badulescu S, Meshkat S, Cao B, Rosenblat JD, Dev DA, Phan L, Subramaniapillai M, McIntyre RS. Impacts of metabolic disruption, body mass index and inflammation on cognitive function in post-COVID-19 condition: a randomized controlled trial on vortioxetine. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2024 Feb 29;23(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s12991-024-00494-1.
• Le GH, Kwan ATH, Wong S, Guo Z, Teopiz KM, Badulescu S, Meshkat S, d'Andrea G, Ho R, Rhee TG, Cao B, Phan L, Rosenblat JD, Mansur RB, Subramaniapillai M, McIntyre RS. Impact of Elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) on Hedonic Tone in Persons with Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Secondary Analysis. Adv Ther. 2024 Feb;41(2):686-695. doi: 10.1007/s12325-023-02760-2. Epub 2023 Dec 19.

Drugs

Indications