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Current Trends in Identifying Rapidly Acting Treatments for Depression

  • Mood and Anxiety Disorders (D Iosifescu, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Traditional antidepressant medications generally take weeks to months to achieve effect. However, the breakthrough finding of ketamine’s rapidly acting antidepressant properties has inspired a decade and a half of progress towards the identification of treatments that work quickly—within hours to days. This paradigm shift in the discovery of antidepressant therapies has significantly changed the current landscape of antidepressant drug development. Building on this, the current review briefly highlights the recent trends in research towards identifying rapidly acting antidepressants. Specifically, ketamine, GLYX-13, nitrous oxide, metabotropic glutamatergic receptor modulators, scopolamine, opioid receptor modulators, and low-field magnetic stimulation are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Depression Clinical and Research Program (DCRP), Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, 6th Floor, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Dawn F. Ionescu & George I. Papakostas

  2. Clinical Trials Network and Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    George I. Papakostas

  3. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Dawn F. Ionescu & George I. Papakostas

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  1. Dawn F. Ionescu
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Correspondence to Dawn F. Ionescu or George I. Papakostas.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Papakostas has served as a consultant for Abbott Laboratories; AstraZeneca PLC; Avanir Pharmaceuticals; Axsome Therapeutics*; Brainsway Ltd; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Cephalon Inc.; Dey Pharma, L.P.; Eli Lilly Co.; Genentech, Inc*; GlaxoSmithKiine; Evotec AG; H. Lundbeck A/S; lnflabloc Pharmaceuticals; Janssen Global Services LLC*; Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Johnson & Johnson Companies*; Methylation Sciences Inc; Novartis Pharma AG; One Carbon Therapeutics, Inc*; Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp.*; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals; PAMLAB LLC; Pfizer Inc.; Pierre Fabre Laboratories; Ridge Diagnostics (formerly known as Precision Human Biolaboratories); Shire Pharmaceuticals; Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; Taisho Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd; Theracos, Inc.; and Wyeth, Inc, outside of the submitted work.

Dr. Papakostas has received honoraria (for lectures or consultancy) from Abbott Laboratories; Astra Zeneca PLC; Avanir Pharmaceuticals; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Brainsway Ltd; Cephalon Inc.; Dey Pharma, L.P.; Eli Lilly Co.; Evotec AG; Forest Pharmaceuticals; GlaxoSmithKiine; lnflabloc Pharmaceuticals; Jazz Pharmaceuticals; H. Lundbeck A/S; Medichem Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Meiji Seika Pharma Co. Ltd; Novartis Pharma AG; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals; PAMLAB LLC; Pfizer; Pierre Fabre Laboratories; Ridge Diagnostics; Shire Pharmaceuticals; Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd; Theracos, Inc.; Titan Pharmaceuticals; and Wyeth Inc, outside of the submitted work.

Dr. Papakostas has received research support (paid to hospital) from AstraZeneca PLC; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Forest Pharmaceuticals; the National Institute of Mental Health; Neuralstem, Inc; PAMLAB LLC; Pfizer Inc.; Ridge Diagnostics (formerly known as Precision Human Biolaboratories); Sunovion Pharmaceuticals; Tal Medical; and Theracos, Inc., outside of the submitted work.

Dr. Papakostas has served (not currently) on the speaker's bureau for BristoiMyersSquibb Co and Pfizer, Inc.

The asterisk (*) denotes activity undertaken on behalf of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Ionescu has received awards from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Harvard Catalyst, and MGH Executive Committee on Research. Dr. Ionescu also reports travel expenses covered by the FDA, outside of the submitted work. Dr. Ionescu has received funding from the NIMH/NIH (1K23-MH107776).

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Ionescu, D.F., Papakostas, G.I. Current Trends in Identifying Rapidly Acting Treatments for Depression. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 3, 185–191 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0075-4

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