An Efficacy and Safety Study of Vortioxetine (Lu AA21004) in Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group, Placebo-Controlled, Fixed-Dose Study Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Single Dose of Lu AA21004 in Acute Treatment of Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of vortioxetine, once daily (QD), in treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Vortioxetine

Detailed Description

The drug that was tested in this study is called Vortioxetine. Vortioxetine is being tested to treat anxiety in adults who have general anxiety disorder (GAD). This study looked at GAD relief in people who took vortioxetine.

The study enrolled 304 patients. Participants were randomly assigned (by chance, like flipping a coin) to one of the two treatment groups-which remained undisclosed to the patient and study doctor during the study (unless there was an urgent medical need):

• Vortioxetine 5 mg
• Placebo (dummy inactive pill) - this was a capsule that looked like the study drug but had no active ingredient.

All participants were asked to take one capsule at the same time each day throughout the study.

This multi-center trial was conducted in the United States. The overall time to participate in this study was up to 13 weeks. Participants made 7 visits to the clinic, and were contacted by telephone 4 weeks after the last dose of study drug for a follow-up assessment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 304
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Anaheim, California, United States
    • Arcadia, California, United States
    • Irvine, California, United States
    • National City, California, United States
    • Sherman Oaks, California, United States
    • Upland, California, United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington, District of Columbia, United States
  • Florida
    • Bradenton, Florida, United States
    • Coral Gables, Florida, United States
    • North Miami, Florida, United States
    • St Petersburg, Florida, United States
    • Tampa, Florida, United States
  • Illinois
    • Oak Brook, Illinois, United States
    • Park Ridge, Illinois, United States
  • Indiana
    • Lafayette, Indiana, United States
  • Kansas
    • Wichita, Kansas, United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Fall River, Massachusetts, United States
    • Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
  • Mississippi
    • Flowood, Mississippi, United States
  • New York
    • Bronx, New York, United States
    • Brooklyn, New York, United States
    • New York, New York, United States
  • North Carolina
    • Morganton, North Carolina, United States
  • Ohio
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
    • Toledo, Ohio, United States
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
  • Oregon
    • Portland, Oregon, United States
  • Rhode Island
    • Lincoln, Rhode Island, United States
  • Tennessee
    • Memphis, Tennessee, United States
  • Texas
    • Austin, Texas, United States
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States
  • West Virginia
    • Charleston, West Virginia, United States

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Has a primary diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR®) criteria.
• Has a Hamilton Anxiety Scale total score greater than or equal to 20 at Screening and Baseline.
• Has a Hamilton Anxiety Scale score greater than or equal to 2 on both Item 1 (anxious mood) and Item 2 (tension) at Screening and Baseline.
• Has a Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale total score less than or equal to 16 at Screening and Baseline.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Has 1 or more of the following:

  • Any current psychiatric disorder other than Generalized Anxiety Disorder as defined in the DSM-IV-TR (as assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview [MINI]).
  • Current or past history of: manic or hypomanic episode, schizophrenia or any other psychotic disorder, including major depression with psychotic features, mental retardation, organic mental disorders, or mental disorders due to a general medical condition as defined in the DSM-IV-TR.
  • Any substance disorder (except nicotine and caffeine) within the previous 6 months as defined in the DSM-IV-TR® and subject must have a negative urine drug screen prior to Baseline.
  • Presence or history of a clinically significant neurological disorder (including epilepsy).
  • Neurodegenerative disorder (Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington disease, etc.).
  • Any Axis II disorder that might compromise the study.
• Is taking excluded medications.
• Has a significant risk of suicide according to the investigator's opinion or has a score greater than or equal to 5 on Item 10 (suicidal thoughts) of the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale or has made a suicide attempt in the previous 6 months.
• Has previously failed to respond to adequate treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and/or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.
• Has received electroconvulsive therapy within 6 months prior to Screening.
• Is currently receiving formal cognitive or behavioral therapy, systematic psychotherapy, or plans to initiate such therapy during the study.
• Has a clinically significant unstable illness.
• Has an alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, or total bilirubin level greater than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal.
• Has a serum creatinine of greater than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal.
• Has a previous history of cancer that had been in remission for less than 5 years.
• Has thyroid stimulating hormone value outside the normal range at Screening and is deemed clinically significant by the investigator.
• Has an abnormal electrocardiogram.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; Vortioxetine placebo-matching capsules, orally, once daily for up to 8 weeks.	Drug: Placebo; Vortioxetine placebo-matching capsules
Experimental: Vortioxetine 5 mg; Vortioxetine 5 mg, encapsulated tablets, orally, once daily for up to 8 weeks.	Drug: Vortioxetine; Encapsulated vortioxetine immediate-release tablets; Other Names: Lu AA21004; Brintellix®

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) Total Score at Week 8	The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 to 56 where <17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe. Total scores above 30 are rare, but indicate very severe anxiety. Least Squares (LS) means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Anxiety Subscale at Week 8	The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Anxiety sub-scale consists of 7 items that are assessed by a scale from 0 (no anxiety) to 3 (severe feeling of anxiety). The anxiety subscale determines a state of generalized anxiety including anxious mood, restlessness, anxious thoughts and panic attacks. Scores are summed and range from 0 to 21 (maximal severity). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Week 8
Clinical Global Impression Scale-Global Improvement at Week 8	The Clinical Global Impression - Global Improvement scale assesses the participant's improvement (or worsening) as assessed by the clinician relative to Baseline on a 7-point scale: 1, very much improved; 2, much improved; 3, minimally improved; 4, no change; 5, minimally worse; 6, much worse; or 7, very much worse. LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Week 8
Change From Baseline in Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Total Score at Week 8	The Sheehan Disability Scale assesses functional impairment in 3 domains: work/school, social life or leisure activities, and home life or family responsibilities. The participant rates the extent to which each aspect is impaired on a 10-point visual analog scale, from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely). The 3 scores are added together to calculate the total score, which ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more impairment. LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Week 8
Percentage of Responders in HAM-A Total Score at Week 8	Response was defined as participants with a ≥50% decrease from Baseline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) total score. The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 (symptoms absent) to 56 (maximum severity).	Baseline and Week 8
Change From Baseline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) Total Score at Week 8 in Participants With Baseline HAM-A ≥25	The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 to 56 where <17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe. Total scores above 30 are rare, but indicate very severe anxiety. Least Squares (LS) means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Week 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Social Functioning Subscore at Week 8	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The social functioning subscale assesses limitations in social activities because of physical or emotional problems. The sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Week 8
Change From Baseline in Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) Total Score at Other Weeks Assessed	The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 to 56 where <17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe. Total scores above 30 are rare, but indicate very severe anxiety. Least Squares (LS) means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6.
Change From Baseline in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Anxiety Subscale at Other Weeks Assessed	The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Anxiety sub-scale consists of 7 items that are assessed by a scale from 0 (no anxiety) to 3 (severe feeling of anxiety). The anxiety subscale determines a state of generalized anxiety including anxious mood, restlessness, anxious thoughts and panic attacks. Scores are summed and range from 0 to 21 (maximal severity). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1 and 4
Clinical Global Impression Scale-Global Improvement at Other Weeks Assessed	The Clinical Global Impression - Global Improvement scale assesses the participant's improvement (or worsening) as assessed by the clinician relative to Baseline on a 7-point scale: 1, very much improved; 2, much improved; 3, minimally improved; 4, no change; 5, minimally worse; 6, much worse; or 7, very much worse. LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6
Change From Baseline in Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Total Score at Other Weeks Assessed	The Sheehan Disability Scale assesses functional impairment in 3 domains: work/school, social life or leisure activities, and home life or family responsibilities. The participant rates the extent to which each aspect is impaired on a 10-point visual analog scale, from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely). The 3 scores are added together to calculate the total score, which ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more impairment. LS means and P-values were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1, 2 and 4
Percentage of Responders in HAM-A Total Score at Other Weeks Assessed	Response was defined as participants with a ≥50% decrease from Baseline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) total score. The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 (symptoms absent) to 56 (maximum severity).	Baseline and Weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6
Change From Baseline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) Total Score at Other Weeks Assessed in Participants With Baseline HAM-A ≥25	The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 to 56 where <17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe. Total scores above 30 are rare, but indicate very severe anxiety. Least Squares (LS) means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6
Percentage of Participants in HAM-A Remission at Each Week Assessed	Remission is defined as a Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) total score ≤ 7. The HAM-A is an anxiety rating scale consisting of 14 items that assess anxious mood, tension, fear, insomnia, intellectual (cognitive) symptoms, depressed mood, behavior at interview, somatic (sensory), cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, autonomic and somatic (muscular) symptoms. Each symptom is rated from 0 (absent) to 4 (maximum severity). Total scores range from 0 (symptoms absent) to 56 (maximum severity).	Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8
Change From Baseline in Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity of Illness at Each Week Assessed	The Clinical Global Impression - Severity scale (CGI-S) is a 7-point scale that requires the clinician to rate the severity of the patient's illness at the time of assessment, relative to the clinician's past experience with patients who have the same diagnosis. Considering total clinical experience, a patient is assessed on severity of mental illness on the following scale: 1, normal, not at all ill; 2, borderline mentally ill; 3, mildly ill; 4, moderately ill; 5, markedly ill; 6, severely ill; or 7, extremely ill. LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8
Change From Baseline in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Depression Subscale at Each Week Assessed	The HAD-Depression subscale is completed by the participant and measures depression, focusing on the state of lost interest and diminished pleasure response. The subscale is made up of 7 items that are assessed on a scale from 0 (no depression) to 3 (severe feeling of depression). Participants are required to indicate the response which most accurately reflects the way they have felt over the last few days. The item scores are summed and the total subscore ranges from 0 to 21 (maximal severity). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 1, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Social Functioning Subscore at Other Weeks Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The social functioning subscale assesses limitations in social activities because of physical or emotional problems. The sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2 and 4
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Physical Functioning Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The physical functioning subscale assesses limitations in physical activities because of health problems. The sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Role-Physical Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The role-physical subscale assesses limitations in usual role activities because of physical health problems. The sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Bodily Pain Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The bodily pain sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) General Health Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The general health sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Vitality Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The vitality sub-score assesses energy and fatigue, and ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Role-Emotional Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The role-emotional subscale assesses limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problems. The sub-score scale ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Change From Baseline in 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) Mental Health Subscore at Each Week Assessed	The Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 is a participant self-rated questionnaire that is a general measure of perceived health status comprising 36 questions, which yields an 8-scale health profile. The mental health sub-score assesses general mental health (psychological distress and well-being) and ranges from 0 (best) - 100 (worst). LS means were from a mixed model for repeated measurements (MMRM).	Baseline to Weeks 2, 4 and 8
Health Care Resource Utilization as Assessed by the Health Economic Assessment Questionnaire	Healthcare resource utilization was assessed by the Health Economic Assessment (HEA) questionnaire, which monitors the participants absenteeism from work, as well as resource use such as visits to a general practitioner, outpatient and inpatient services, hospitalization, medications, and other relevant services over the past 8 weeks.	Baseline and Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Takeda
• Collaborators: H. Lundbeck A/S

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rothschild AJ, Mahableshwarkar AR, Jacobsen P, Yan M, Sheehan DV. Vortioxetine (Lu AA21004) 5 mg in generalized anxiety disorder: results of an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in the United States. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 Dec;22(12):858-66. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.07.011. Epub 2012 Aug 15.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 11, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): August 13, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 18, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 25, 2013
• Last Verified: October 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Mood Disorder; Affective Disorder; Anxiety Disorder; Drug Therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Disease; Anxiety Disorders; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Central Nervous System Depressants; Tranquilizing Agents; Psychotropic Drugs; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Membrane Transport Modulators; Serotonin Agents; Antidepressive Agents; Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists; Serotonin Receptor Agonists; Serotonin Antagonists; Anti-Anxiety Agents; Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists; Vortioxetine
• Other Study ID Numbers: LuAA21004_310; U1111-1114-4876 (Registry Identifier: WHO)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No