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doi:10.1017/S146114571000115X
Abstract
The aim of this review was to assess the clinical relevance of the relative antidepressant efficacy of escit-
alopram and citalopram by meta-analysis. Studies in major depressive disorder (MDD) with both escit-
alopram and citalopram treatment arms were identified. Adult patients had to meet DSM-IV criteria for
MDD. The primary outcome measure was the treatment difference in Montgomery–Asberg Depression
Rating Scale (MADRS) total score at week 8 (or last assessment if <8 wk). Secondary outcome measures
were response (o50 % improvement from baseline) and remission (MADRS f12). A search of the litera-
were in remission by multiplying the estimated pre- Statistical methods used in the meta-analysis
dictions by the by-treatment FAS sample size. In the
All meta-analyses based on the above outlined input,
latter case the ‘raw ’ numbers were used. Hence,
regardless of outcome type, were performed using the
the response and remission meta-data consist of both
fixed-effects general linear model described in Hedges
adjusted and unadjusted figures. The numbers of
& Olkin (1985). All p values and confidence intervals
patients responding or in remission, together with
are based on two-sided considerations with type I
by-treatment sample sizes, were extracted from the
error set to 0.05.
studies. The by-treatment ITT sample sizes were used
as denominator in the analyses of responders and re-
mitters, so that patients excluded from the FAS were Results
treated as non-responders and/or non-remitters.
Nine trials were identified that included escitalopram
Preliminary data handling (n=995) and citalopram (n=1014) treatment arms
(FAS, Table 1). Some treatment arms were omitted
Continuous rating scale outcomes (MADRS and HAMD17) in order to make a fair dose comparison [the 10-mg
For each study, the difference between mean change escitalopram group (n=119) in study 5 and the 10-mg
from baseline to week 8 (or last assessment for citalopram group (n=111) in study 8], since there was
studies <8 wk) between escitalopram and citalopram no 20-mg citalopram group in study 5, and no 5-mg
264
Baseline Withdrawals
S. A. Montgomery et al.
Duration Treatment MADRS due to Completers
Study no. (reference) inclusion RCT Scale Setting Response Remission (dosage) score APTS (FAS) AEs ( %)a ( %)a
1 (Forest Labs, 2005 ; 8 wk Yes MADRS Spec Yes No Esc (10–20)1 28.7¡4.3 125 (124) 8.8 76.8
Anon, 2002) MADRS o22 HAMD17 Cit (20–40)2 28.3¡5.0 123 (119) 4.1 80.5
Pbo 28.8¡5.0
2 (Colonna et al. 2005) 24 wk Yes MADRS GP Yes Yes Esc (10) 29.5¡4.3 175 (165) 5.7 86.3
MADRS o22 Cit (20) 30.2¡4.7 182 (174) 9.9 84.1
3 (Lepola et al. 2003 ; 8 wk Yes MADRS GP Yes Yes Esc (10–20)3 29.0¡4.3 155 (155) 2.6 94.2
Anon, 2002) MADRS o22 Cit (20–40)4 29.2¡4.2 160 (159) 3.8 95.0
Pbo 28.7¡4.0
4 (Lalit et al. 2004) 4 wk Yes HAMD17 Spec Yes Yes Esc (10) 26¡6 69 (69) 1.4 94.2
HAMD17 o18 Cit (20) 25¡5 74 (74) 2.7 95.9
Ser (100)
5 (Burke et al. 2002 ; 8 wk Yes MADRS Spec Yes No Esc (10) 28.0¡4.9 119 (118) 4.2 79.8
Anon, 2002) MADRS o22 Esc (20) 28.9¡4.6 125 (123) 10.4 75.2
HAMD17 Cit (40) 29.2¡4.5 125 (125) 8.8 74.4
Pbo 29.5¡5.0
6 (Moore et al. 2005) 8 wk Yes MADRS GP & Yes Yes Esc (20) 36.3¡4.8 142 (138) 2.9 93.0
MADRS o30 spec Cit (40) 35.7¡5.8 152 (142) 6.3 83.6
7 (Li et al. 2006) 6 wk Yes HAMD17 Spec Yes No Esc (10–20)5 23.7¡4.3 28 (28) – 92.9
HAMD17 o18 Cit (20–40)5 23.8¡3.6 28 (28) – 96.4
8 (Yevtushenko 6 wk Yes MADRS Spec Yes Yes Esc (10) 34.8¡3.5 109 (108) – 99.1
et al. 2007) MADRS o25 Cit (10) 35.4¡3.3 111 (106) – 95.5
Cit (20) 35.7¡3.8 110 (108) 98.2
9 (Lançon et al. 2006)b 8 wk No MADRS Spec Yes Yes Esc (5–20)6 39.6¡6.2 67 (67) 1.5 95.5
MADRS o30 Cit (10–40)7 37.0¡5.8 60 (60) 8.3 86.7
Esc, Escitalopram ; Cit, citalopram ; Pbo, placebo-controlled study ; Ser, sertraline ; RCT, randomized controlled trial, Spec, specialist settings ; n.a., not available ; APTS, all-patients-
treated set ; FAS, full-analysis set ; AEs, adverse events.
a
Values from last visit (LOCF), based on the APTS.
b
Non-randomized design.
1
Mean dose 17.6 mg ; 2 mean dose 35.3 mg ; 3 mean dose 14.0 mg ; 4 mean dose 24.4 mg ; 5 mean dose not available ; 6 mean dose 12.7 mg ; 7 mean dose 28.8 mg.
Fig. 1. Estimated mean treatment difference in MADRS or Fig. 2. Estimated difference in response rates at week 8
HAMD17 total score at week 8 (or last assessment if <8 wk) (or last assessment if <8 wk) (EscxCit) with 95 % confidence
shown with 95 % confidence intervals. Esc, Escitalopram ; intervals. Esc, Escitalopram ; Cit, citalopram. Response
Cit, citalopram. * The studies of Lalit et al. (2004) (4 wk) and is defined as the percentage of patients with o50 %
Li et al. (2006) (6 wk) used only the HAMD17, and that of improvement from baseline (MADRS or HAMD17). * The
Discussion
This meta-analysis of all the publicly available statistically significant efficacy advantage of escitalo-
data indicates that escitalopram has superior efficacy pram over citalopram.
compared to citalopram in the treatment of MDD in However, a statistically significant difference be-
a patient population including both moderate and se- tween two treatments may not reflect clinical benefits
vere disorder. It includes all available studies in MDD that are evident or relevant when treating individual
that included escitalopram and citalopram treatment patients. Separate tests are usually applied to the
arms (head-to-head, with an active control, or placebo- data to test if statistical differences are likely to have
controlled) and provides further evidence for a clinical relevance. There are several approaches to
266 S. A. Montgomery et al.
determining clinical relevance. In regulatory terms the difference observed between placebo and citalopram.
most important are the responder analysis, the remit- On the basis of an analysis of the positive anti-
ter analysis and the treatment effect (the difference depressant studies submitted to the FDA, Kirsch et al.
between two treatments in the improvement from (2002) reported that a difference of around 2 points on
baseline to endpoint on a standard assessment scale) HAMD17 between drug and placebo had been suf-
(EMEA, 2002). ficient for regulatory approval. In the case of citalo-
The criteria used to establish a clinically relevant pram this difference was 1.9 points on HAMD17. The
difference have almost all been focused on a compari- difference between escitalopram and placebo on the
son of drug and placebo. Comparing differences MADRS was found to be 1.9 overall and 2.1 points in
between two active treatments applying the same cri- severe depression in the regulatory studies of escita-
terion used to define a clinically relevant difference on lopram (Gorman et al. 2002) which indicates that the
the pivotal scale between active drug and placebo is difference of around 2 points would be considered
very stringent, since this means that the difference to clinically relevant for both the MADRS and HAMD17.
placebo of the superior treatment must be at least In a more recent meta-analysis of placebo controlled
twice that of the comparator antidepressant. However, studies for all antidepressants, including a range
50 % of the difference between active drug and placebo of other non-regulatory studies, the reported differ-
has also been used as a criterion to indicate probable ence on HAMD17 was 1.8 (Kirsch et al. 2008). Since
clinical relevance when comparing two established the present analysis included a wide range of non-
with increasing severity of depression. These data Colonna L, Andersen HF, Reines EH (2005). A randomised,
confirm that escitalopram has different properties as double-blind, 24-week study of escitalopram (10 mg/day)
an antidepressant compared to citalopram. versus citalopram (20 mg/day) in primary care patients
Based on treatment difference, and NNTs derived with major depressive disorder. Current Medical Research
and Opinion 21, 1659–1668.
from response and remission rates, the statistically
EMEA (2002). Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products
significant superiority of escitalopram vs. citalopram
(CPMP). Note for guidance on clinical investigation of
can be considered as clinically relevant. medicinal products in the treatment of depression. CPMP/
EWP/518/97, Rev. 1. European Medicines Agency.
Forest Laboratories (2005). http://www.forestclinicaltrials.
Acknowledgements
com/CTR/CTRController/CTRViewPdf?_file_id=scsr/
The authors thank D. J. Simpson (H. Lundbeck A/S) SCSR_SCT-MD-02_final.pdf (not peer-reviewed).
for technical assistance in the preparation of the Accessed 4 January 2010.
manuscript. The authors are entirely responsible for Gorman J, Korotzer A, Su G (2002). Efficacy comparison of
the scientific content of this article. escitalopram and citalopram in the treatment of major
depressive disorder : pooled analysis of placebo-controlled
trials. CNS Spectrums 7 (Suppl. 1), 40–44.
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