Background
We evaluated the comparative efficacy and safety of venlafaxine extended release (ER)
and fluoxetine in the acute and continuation phases of treatment.
Methods
In this multicenter, double-blind study, outpatients with recurrent unipolar major
depression were randomly assigned to receive venlafaxine ER (75–300 mg/day; n = 821) or fluoxetine (20–60 mg/day; n = 275). After a 10-week acute treatment phase, responders entered a 6-month continuation
phase of ongoing therapy with double-blind venlafaxine ER (n = 530) or fluoxetine (n = 185). In the acute phase, the primary outcome was response, defined as a 17-item
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score ≤12 or ≥50% decrease from baseline;
the secondary outcome was remission, defined as a HDRS score ≤7. In the continuation
phase, the primary outcome was the proportion of patients who sustained response or
remission. Secondary measures included time to onset of sustained response or remission
(i.e., meeting criteria at two or more consecutive visits), relapse rates, and quality-of-life
measures.
Results
At the acute treatment phase end point, response rates were 79% for both venlafaxine
ER and fluoxetine; remission rates were 49% and 50% for venlafaxine ER and fluoxetine,
respectively. In the continuation phase, response rates were 90% and 92%, and remission
rates were 72% and 69% for venlafaxine ER and fluoxetine, respectively. Rates of sustained
remission at the end of the continuation phase were 52% and 58% for venlafaxine ER
and fluoxetine, respectively.
Conclusion
Venlafaxine ER and fluoxetine were comparably effective during both acute and continuation
phase therapy.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 10, 2007
Accepted:
April 19,
2007
Received in revised form:
March 22,
2007
Received:
December 22,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- ErratumBiological PsychiatryVol. 63Issue 7
- PreviewThe financial and conflict of interest disclosures for two authors were inadvertently omitted from the article “The Prevention of Recurrent Episodes of Depression with Venlafaxine for Two Years (PREVENT) Study: Outcomes from the Acute and Continuation Phases” by Keller et al., which appeared in the December 15, 2007 issue of Biological Psychiatry, Volume 62, Number 12 (Biol Psychiatry 2007;62:1371–1379). The missing disclosures are now listed here.
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- Erratum to: The Prevention of Recurrent Episodes of Depression with Venlafaxine for Two Years (PREVENT) Study: Outcomes from the Acute and Continuation PhasesBiological PsychiatryVol. 71Issue 4
- PreviewIt has been discovered that the patient flowchart was not included in Supplement 2 for “The Prevention of Recurrent Episodes of Depression with Venlafaxine for Two Years (PREVENT) Study: Outcomes from the Acute and Continuation Phases” by Keller et al., published in Biological Psychiatry (2007;62:1371–1379). The flowchart is referenced in the first sentence of the Results section, and is now printed here.
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