Objective: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of duloxetine 60mg/day versus placebo in treating elderly patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and concurrent anxiety symptoms.
Methods: Patients (>/=65) were randomized to eight weeks of treatment with duloxetine 60mg/day (n=207) or placebo (n=104). Anxiety measures were analyzed for all patients, by age (<75 and >/=75), and in patients having concurrent high anxiety (HAMD(17), item 10; Psychic Anxiety baseline score of 2, 3, or 4). Psychic Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety item 11, and the Anxiety/Somatization subscale were analyzed for all patients and subgroups by mean change from baseline to endpoint and repeated measures. Tolerability was assessed via treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), and adverse events were reported as the reason for discontinuation. The analyses presented are primarily post hoc in nature.
Results: Duloxetine produced significantly greater reductions than placebo in Psychic Anxiety (least-squares mean change: -0.62 vs. -0.18, p<0.001) and the Anxiety/Somatization subscale (-1.88 vs. -0.99, p=0.002). Repeated measures analyses showed separation between the treatment groups beginning at Week 1 for Psychic Anxiety and Week 4 for the Anxiety/Somatization subscale. Significant improvement occurred in the <75 and >/=75 age groups for Psychic Anxiety, but only the <75 group for the Anxiety/Somatization subscale. Duloxetine-treated patients with high anxiety showed significant improvement compared with placebo-treated patients on Psychic Anxiety, Anxiety/Somatization subscale, the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD(17)) total score, and several other measures. Duloxetine and placebo had similar TEAE rates and discontinuation rates due to adverse events.
Conclusion: Duloxetine (60mg/day) was efficacious and tolerable in elderly patients with MDD and concurrent anxiety symptoms.
Keywords: anxiety; duloxetine; elderly; major depressive disorder; placebo.