A Study of Ketamine in Patients With Treatment-resistant Depression

April 25, 2025 updated by: Janssen Research & Development, LLC

A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Parallel Group, Dose Frequency Study of Ketamine in Subjects With Treatment-resistant Depression

The purpose of this study is to explore the optimal dose frequency of ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a double-blind (patients and study personnel do not know the identity of the administered treatments), randomized (the drug is assigned by chance), placebo-controlled (placebo is a substance that appears identical to the treatment and has no active ingredients), parallel arm study (each group of patients will be treated at the same time). The study will consist of a screening phase of up to 4 weeks, a 4-week double-blind treatment phase (Day 1 to Day 29), and a 3-week post treatment (follow up) phase. In the double-blind phase, patients will receive over 4 weeks either intravenous (IV) infusions of placebo (2 or 3 times weekly) or IV infusions of ketamine (2 or 3 times weekly). The total study duration for each patient will be a maximum of 13 weeks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
68

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States
    • Arkansas
      • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
    • Colorado
      • Centennial, Colorado, United States
    • Connecticut
      • Hartford, Connecticut, United States
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States
    • Georgia
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States
    • Maryland
      • Rockville, Maryland, United States
    • New Jersey
      • Marlton, New Jersey, United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States
    • Texas
      • Dallas, Texas, United States
    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 64 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be medically stable on the basis of clinical laboratory tests performed at screening
  • Meet diagnostic criteria for recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), without psychotic features
  • Have a history of inadequate response, ie treatment was not successful, to at least 1 antidepressant
  • Have an Inventory of Depressive Symptoms-Clinician rated, 30 item (IDS-C30) total score >= 40 at screening and predose at Day 1
  • Inpatient or agreed to be admitted to the clinic on each dosing day

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Has uncontrolled hypertension
  • Has a history of, or current signs and symptoms of diseases, infections or conditions that in the opinion of the investigator, would make participation not be in the best interest (eg, compromise the well-being) of the patient or that could prevent, limit, or confound the protocol-specified assessments
  • Has known allergies, hypersensitivity, or intolerance to ketamine or its excipients
  • Is unable to read and understand the consent forms and patient reported outcomes, complete study-related procedures, and/or communicate with the study staff

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo 3 times/week
Drug: Placebo
Form= intravenous infusion, route= intravenous (IV) use. IV infusions of placebo 2 times weekly or IV infusions of placebo 3 times weekly.
Experimental: Ketamine 3 times/week
Drug: Ketamine
Type= exact number, unit= mg/kg, number= 0.5, form= intravenous infusion, route= intravenous (IV) use. IV infusions of ketamine 0.50 mg/kg, 2 times weekly or IV infusions of ketamine 0.50 mg/kg, 3 times weekly.
Experimental: Ketamine 2 times/week
Drug: Ketamine
Type= exact number, unit= mg/kg, number= 0.5, form= intravenous infusion, route= intravenous (IV) use. IV infusions of ketamine 0.50 mg/kg, 2 times weekly or IV infusions of ketamine 0.50 mg/kg, 3 times weekly.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo 2 times/week
Drug: Placebo
Form= intravenous infusion, route= intravenous (IV) use. IV infusions of placebo 2 times weekly or IV infusions of placebo 3 times weekly.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score From Baseline to Day 15
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) and Day 15
The MADRS is a clinician-rated scale designed to measure depression severity and detects changes due to antidepressant treatment. The test consists of 10 items, each of which is scored from 0 (item not present or normal) to 6 (severe or continuous presence of the symptoms), for a total score of 60. Higher scores represent a more severe condition.
Baseline (Day 1) and Day 15

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score From Baseline to Day 29
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) and Day 29
The MADRS is a clinician-rated scale designed to measure depression severity and detects changes due to antidepressant treatment. The test consists of 10 items, each of which is scored from 0 (item not present or normal) to 6 (severe or continuous presence of the symptoms), for a total score of 60. Higher scores represent a more severe condition.
Baseline (Day 1) and Day 29
Number of Responders Based on Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score
Time Frame: Day 15 and Day 29
Participants with a reduction in the MADRS total score of greater than or equal to (>=) 50 percent from baseline were defined as responders. The MADRS is a clinician-rated scale designed to measure depression severity and detects changes due to antidepressant treatment. The test consists of 10 items, each of which is scored from 0 (item not present or normal) to 6 (severe or continuous presence of the symptoms), for a total score of 60. Higher scores represent a more severe condition.
Day 15 and Day 29
Number of Remitters Based on Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score
Time Frame: Day 15 and Day 29
Participants who had a MADRS total score of less than or equal to (<=) 10 were considered remitters. The MADRS is a clinician-rated scale designed to measure depression severity and detects changes due to antidepressant treatment. The test consists of 10 items, each of which is scored from 0 (item not present or normal) to 6 (severe or continuous presence of the symptoms), for a total score of 60. Higher scores represent a more severe condition.
Day 15 and Day 29
Number of Sustained Responders Based on Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Total Score
Time Frame: Day 15
Sustained response on Day 15 was defined as achieving an onset of antidepressant response within the first week that is maintained to the end of study Day 15. The MADRS is a clinician-rated scale designed to measure depression severity and detects changes due to antidepressant treatment. The test consists of 10 items, each of which is scored from 0 (item not present or normal) to 6 (severe or continuous presence of the symptoms), for a total score of 60. Higher scores represent a more severe condition.
Day 15
Change in Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Score From Baseline to Endpoint (Day 29)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) and Endpoint (Day 29)
The CGI-S was used to rate the severity of the participants illness at the time of assessment, relative to the clinician's past experience with participants who had the same diagnosis and improvement with treatment. Considering total clinical experience, a participant was assessed on severity of mental illness at the time of rating according to: 0= not assessed; 1=normal (not at all ill); 2=borderline mentally ill; 3=mildly ill; 4=moderately ill; 5=markedly ill; 6=severely ill; 7=among the most extremely ill participants.
Baseline (Day 1) and Endpoint (Day 29)
Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) Score at Endpoint of Double Blind Phase
Time Frame: Endpoint (Day 29)
The CGI-I is a 7-point scale that was used to assess how much the participants illness was improved or worsened relative to a baseline state at the beginning of the intervention and rated as: 0= not assessed; 1=very much improved; 2=much improved; 3=minimally improved; 4=no change; 5=minimally worse; 6=much worse; 7=very much worse.
Endpoint (Day 29)
Change in Patient Global Impression-Severity (PGI-S) Score From Baseline to Endpoint (Day 29)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) and Endpoint (Day 29)
The PGI-S is an 11-point (0 to 10) scale that required the participant to rate the severity of their illness at the time of assessment, relative to the participants past experience. Considering their total experience, the participant was to assess the severity of their depression illness at the time of rating as none, mild, moderate or severe. The scale is rated as, 0=very well and 10=very poor.
Baseline (Day 1) and Endpoint (Day 29)
Patient Global Impression-Change (PGI-C) Score at Endpoint of Double Blind Phase
Time Frame: Endpoint (Day 29)
The PGI-C is a 7-point scale that required the subject to assess how much their illness had improved or worsened relative to a baseline state at the beginning of the intervention. The response options were: very much improved; much improved; improved (just enough to make a difference); no change; worse (just enough to make a difference); much worse; or very much worse. The scale is rated as, 1=very much improved and 7=very much worse.
Endpoint (Day 29)
Maximum Observed Plasma Concentration (Cmax) of Ketamine
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The Cmax is the maximum observed plasma concentration of drug.
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
Time to Reach Maximum Observed Plasma Concentration (Tmax) of Ketamine
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The Tmax is defined as actual sampling time to reach maximum observed drug concentration.
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
Area Under the Plasma Concentration-Time Curve From Time Zero to Last Quantifiable Time (AUC[0-last])
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The AUC(0-last) is the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to last quantifiable time.
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
Area Under the Plasma Concentration-Time Curve From Time Zero to Infinite Time (AUC[0-infinity])
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The AUC (0-infinity) is the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to infinite time, calculated as the sum of AUC (last) and C(last)/lambda(z); wherein AUC(last) is area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to last quantifiable time, C(last) is the last observed quantifiable concentration, and lambda(z) is elimination rate constant.
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
Total Systemic Clearance (CL) of Ketamine
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The CL is a quantitative measure of the rate at which a drug substance is removed from the body.
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
Volume of Distribution at Steady-State (Vss) of Ketamine
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The Vss is defined as the theoretical volume in which the total amount of drug would need to be uniformly distributed to produce the desired serum concentration of ketamine at steady state.
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
Elimination Half-Life (t1/2)
Time Frame: Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15
The elimination half-life (t1/2) is the time measured for the plasma concentration to decrease by 1 half to its original concentration. It is associated with the terminal slope of the semi logarithmic drug concentration-time curve, and is calculated as 0.693/lambda(z).
Pre-infusion, 20, 40 (End of the Infusion), 45, 50, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240 and 360 minutes post-infusion on Day 1 and Day 15

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Janssen Research & Development, LLC

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Janssen Research & Development, LLC Clinical Trial, Janssen Research & Development, LLC

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 6, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 12, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 12, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 22, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 22, 2012

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 26, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 29, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 25, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CR100886
  • KETIVTRD2002 (Other Identifier: Janssen Research & Development, LLC)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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