Recruiting
Positioning of Esketamine Treatment in the Real-world Management of Depression
The goal of this naturalistic, open label, single arm intervention study is to investigate the effects of Esketamine in treating depression.The main aims to answer are:
* to investigate whether Esketamine is effective when added to ongoing antidepressant treatment
* to identify patient characteristics that will determine a therapeutic response to Esketamine in real-world practice
Participants will:
* attend the clinic for supervised self-administration of intranasal Esketamine treatment
* be observed for 2…
ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT06103760
PhasePHASE4
Enrollment162
SponsorRoyal North Shore Hospital
Age18 Years
SexALL
Conditions studied
Major Depressive Disorder
About this study
The goal of this naturalistic, open label, single arm intervention study is to investigate the effects of Esketamine in treating depression.The main aims to answer are:
* to investigate whether Esketamine is effective when added to ongoing antidepressant treatment
* to identify patient characteristics that will determine a therapeutic response to Esketamine in real-world practice
Participants will:
* attend the clinic for supervised self-administration of intranasal Esketamine treatment
* be observed for 2 hours following Esketamine administration including blood pressure monitoring
* be asked to complete a battery of questionnaires
* be reimbursed for travel expenses
Interventions
- Drug: Esketamine Nasal Spray [Spravato] — This is an uncontrolled, single arm, naturalistic study. There will be three treatment phases: Phase 1 - Acute treatment phase (weeks 1-4); Phase 2 - Maintenance treatment phase (weeks 5-8); Phase 3 - Continuation treatment phase (Weeks 9-25). Phase 1 is the critical component of our study as it determines our primary outcomes.
Primary outcomes
- Percentage of treatment responders determined by a 50% reduction on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) 17-Item scoring. (At the end of week 4)
- Mean depression score on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-report (QIDS-SR) 16-Item. (Baseline, at the end of weeks 1,2,3, and 4 (primary time point); and further after week 8 and week 12 after Esketamine was commenced.)
- Global functioning determined by Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score. (Baseline, week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4 (primary time point), week 8 and week 12 after Esketamine was commenced.)
Eligibility information
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Adults aged 18-65 years old
2. Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
3. Currently depressed
4. Had an inadequate response to 2 or more courses of antidepressants (of adequate dose and duration)
5. Be maintained on their current antidepressant medication or psychological therapy at the time of enmrolment
6. Able to understand and provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Concurrent diagnoses:
* Participants with other 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM-5) e.g., current substance misuse disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia
* Participants who are unable to understand the study and therefore unable to provide informed consent
2. Pregnancy:
* Participants who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding
* Participants who are not willing to avoid pregnancy for themselves or their partners during the study by using effective birth control methods
3. Current medications:
* Participants taking a total daily dose of benzodiazepines greater than the equivalent of 6mg/day of lorazepam
* Participants on complementary and alternative medicine therapies i.e., St John's wort, Chinese medicines, and various herbal and homeopathic treatments
4. Stimulants
* Participants taking stimulants such as methylphenidate, amphetamine, and dextroamphetamine for a diagnosis such as ADHD can still have Esketamine provided they do not continue taking stimulants concurrently for the duration of the study.
* Concurrent use is excluded due to the synergistic effect with Esketamine that can cause increased blood pressure.
5. Medical history:
* Participants with current or past history of seizures (uncomplicated childhood febrile seizures with no sequelae are not exclusionary)
* Participants with a history of uncontrolled hypertension
* Participants with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
* Participants with aneurysmal vascular disease including thoracic and abdominal aorta, intracranial and peripheral arterial vessels, or arteriovenous malformation, intracerebral haemorrhage
* Participants with untreated glaucoma, current penetrating or perforating eye injury, brain injury, hypertensive encephalopathy, intrathecal therapy with ventricular shunts, or any other condition associated with increased intracranial pressure or increased intraocular pressure or planned eye surgery
* Participants who are currently receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or have received ECT in the past month.
6. Substance Misuse History:
* Participants who have ever had a substance misuse disorder involving any of the following over their lifetime: ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), or other hallucinogen use history
* Participants with hypersensitivity to Esketamine, Ketamine, or any of the excipients
Study locations
- Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales 2065 Australia
Before you participate: Varda Clinical is an independent discovery tool, not the study sponsor or a medical provider. Eligibility can only be determined by the official study team. Discuss potential risks and benefits with a qualified healthcare professional.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-09-27.