Open-label study of mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets in depressed patients in the nursing home.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets in depressed, elderly nursing home residents, under naturalistic study conditions.

METHODS

In this open-label 12-week study, mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets (15-45 mg/day) were administered to patients > or =70 years old with physician-diagnosed depression and a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score > or =10. Patients with medical comorbidities, cognitive impairment and/or concomitant medications were enrolled if they met study inclusion criteria and had illnesses and/or medication dosages that were considered stable. Assessments were performed at baseline by physicians and at days 14, 28, 56, and 84 (or early termination) by physicians or nurse coordinators using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, the 16-item Hamilton Rating Scale for depression (Ham-D-16 (the standard 17-item scale minus item 14)), and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD). Tolerability was evaluated based on treatment-emergent adverse events.

RESULTS

A total of 119 patients in the intent-to-treat (ITT) group were treated with mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets (mean daily dose: 19.4 mg) and evaluated for efficacy. At endpoint, 54% of patients in the ITT group showed CGI-I response (defined as a CGI-I score of 1 or 2 ('very much' or 'much' improved) and 47% were Ham-D-16 responders (defined as decrease from baseline of at least 50% in Ham-D-16 total score). CSDD mean scores and Ham-D-16 mean total scores demonstrated a progressive decrease from baseline to trial completion. The decrease in Ham-D scores from baseline to day 84 was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Mean changes from baseline to day 84 were -6.6 +/- 6.9 (CSDD score) and -7.9 +/- 7.4 (Ham-D-16 total score). Ham-D Factor I, Factor VI and item 1 scores also decreased. Fourteen of 124 patients in the all-subjects-treated (AST) group (11.3%) discontinued prematurely due to adverse events. The most frequently occurring adverse events were urinary tract infection (19%), accidental injury (18%), fall (18%), somnolence (12%), and upper respiratory infection (12%). Mean body weight increased by 0.7 +/- 2.25 kg (1.54 +/- 5 lb) from baseline to day 28, and by 1.3 +/- 3.36 kg (2.86 +/- 7.4 lb) from baseline to day 84.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that mirtazapine orally disintegrating tablets provide antidepressant efficacy and are a relatively well-tolerated treatment for depression in this patient population of elderly nursing home residents with medical and cognitive comorbidities.