Adjunctive Brexpiprazole in Patients With Unresolved Symptoms of Depression on Antidepressant Treatment Who are Early in the Disease Course: Post Hoc Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Publication date: Jul 03, 2025

Treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) should be optimized as early as possible in the disease course to minimize patient suffering and maximize clinical benefits. This post hoc analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive brexpiprazole in patients who were earlier and later in the disease course. Data were pooled from three 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of adjunctive brexpiprazole in adult outpatients with MDD and inadequate response to antidepressant treatment. “Earlier” and “later” disease course subgroups were defined based on proxies of median age, age at diagnosis, number of episodes, episode duration, and number of prior antidepressants. Efficacy was assessed by changes in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score, and safety by treatment-emergent adverse events. Greater improvement in MADRS total score at Week 6 (p

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