Iloperidone Augmentation of SSRIs for Patients With Major Depressive Disorder With Residual Anger and Irritability

A Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study of Iloperidone Augmentation of SSRIs for Residual Anger and Irritability in Major Depressive Disorder

Iloperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug, FDA-approved for the acute treatment of schizophrenia in adults in 2009 (Marino et al., 2010); moreover, some of its pharmacological features seem to be very promising in treating symptoms like anger and anxiety (Fava et al., 1997; Wang et al., 2010). The investigators therefore feel that an adequately sized, well powered, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, cross-over study of iloperidone augmentation of SSRIs among MDD outpatients in partial remission with residual anger and irritability is warranted at this point to evaluate its efficacy, safety and tolerability on residual anger, irritability and depressive symptoms.

Main hypothesis: Adults with MDD in partial remission, who are experiencing residual symptoms of anger and irritability, assigned to treatment with iloperidone will demonstrate a significantly greater reduction in the total score of the Anger/Hostility Scale of the Symptom Questionnaire from baseline to endpoint than those assigned to placebo using the cross-over design.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Iloperidone

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
      • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Written informed consent.
• Men or women ages 18-65 years old.
• Current Major Depressive Episode in partial remission based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV-Axis I Disorders (SCID I/P) and a HAM-D-17 score between 9 and 15.
• Current treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) other than paroxetine or fluoxetine for at least three months, at a stable dose for the past 4 weeks, and more than 50% but less than 75% improvement on the current antidepressant, as determined by the MGH Antidepressant Treatment Response Questionnaire (ATRQ).
• Score > 8 on the Anger/Hostility Scale of the Symptom Questionnaire both at screen and baseline.

Exclusion Criteria:

• The following DSM-IV diagnoses: 1) organic mental disorders; 2) substance use disorders, including alcohol, active within the last 3 months; 3) schizophrenia; 4) delusional disorder; 5) psychotic disorders not elsewhere classified; 6) bipolar disorder; and 9) antisocial personality disorder; 10) dementia.
• Current, serious suicidal or homicidal risk.
• Pregnancy or breast-feeding.
• Serious, unstable medical illness including cardiovascular, kidney, liver, neurological and endocrine disorders.
• Congenital long QT syndrome or a QTc > 450 ms.
• History of cardiac arrhythmias.
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) within the 6 months preceding baseline.
• Concomitant use of buspirone, fluoxetine, paroxetine, any psychostimulant, modafinil, other antipsychotic drugs, or anticonvulsants (although stable doses of benzodiazepines and hypnotics are allowed) (see Concomitant Therapy).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Iloperidone addition to SSRI antidepressant	Drug: Iloperidone; Iloperidone 1-8 mg for 4 weeks
Placebo Comparator: Placebo addition to standard SSRI antidepressant	Drug: Placebo; Placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
SQ Anger/Hostility Scale	Of the 20 patients randomized, data was analyzed for 13 completers. Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) Anger/Hostility Scale; this is a 23-item subscale of the 92-item Symptom Questionnaire. This score ranges from 0 to 23; higher values represent higher anger and hostility.	9 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Maurizio Fava, MD
• Collaborators: Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ionescu DF, Fava M, Kim DJ, Baer L, Shelton RC, Cusin C. A placebo-controlled crossover study of iloperidone augmentation for residual anger and irritability in major depressive disorder. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2016 Feb;6(1):4-12. doi: 10.1177/2045125315618621.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 31, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 2, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): November 3, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 11, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 28, 2017
• Last Verified: February 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Depression; Depressive Disorder; Depressive Disorder, Major; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Central Nervous System Depressants; Antipsychotic Agents; Tranquilizing Agents; Psychotropic Drugs; Iloperidone
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2011P002043