Escitalopram for the Prevention of Peginterferon-α2a–Associated Depression
Authors: Gijs W.D. Landman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

Letters15 January 2013Escitalopram for the Prevention of Peginterferon-α2a–Associated DepressionGijs W.D. Landman, MDGijs W.D. Landman, MDFrom Diabetes Centre, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, the Netherlands.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-158-2-201301150-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Schaefer and colleagues (1) performed an industry-sponsored trial investigating whether preemptive antidepressive medication could potentially decrease the incidence of moderate to severe depression in patients with hepatitis C virus infection without a history of depressive symptoms who are treated with a regimen containing pegylated interferon-α. They found a significant reduction in both moderate and severe depression in the escitalopram group. The incidence of depressive disorders was measured using the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) with a cutoff of 13 for moderate depression.I have 2 concerns about the definition of a depressive disorder. First, the original study ...References1. Schaefer M, Sarkar R, Knop V, Effenberger S, Friebe A, Heinze L, et al. Escitalopram for the prevention of peginterferon-α2a-associated depression in hepatitis C virus-infected patients without previous psychiatric disease: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157:94-103. [PMID: 22801672] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Zimmerman M, Posternak MA, Chelminski I. Implications of using different cut-offs on symptom severity scales to define remission from depression. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2004;19:215-20. [PMID: 15201568] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Müller MJ, Himmerich H, Kienzle B, Szegedi A. Differentiating moderate and severe depression using the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS). J Affect Disord. 2003;77:255-60. [PMID: 14612225] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Einarson TR. Evidence based review of escitalopram in treating major depressive disorder in primary care. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2004;19:305-10. [PMID: 15289704] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Gijs W.D. Landman, MDAffiliations: From Diabetes Centre, Isala Clinics, Zwolle, the Netherlands.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEscitalopram for the Prevention of Peginterferon-α2a–Associated Depression in Hepatitis C Virus–Infected Patients Without Previous Psychiatric Disease Martin Schaefer , Rahul Sarkar , Viola Knop , Susanne Effenberger , Astrid Friebe , Loni Heinze , Ulrich Spengler , Thomas Schlaepfer , Jens Reimer , Peter Buggisch , Johann Ockenga , Ralph Link , Michael Rentrop , Hans Weidenbach , Gwendolyn Fromm , Klaus Lieb , Thomas F. Baumert , Andreas Heinz , Thomas Discher , Konrad Neumann , Stefan Zeuzem , and Thomas Berg Escitalopram for the Prevention of Peginterferon-α2a–Associated Depression Martin Schaefer , Thomas Berg , Susanne Sarkar , and Konrad Neumann Metrics Cited byChanges in primary outcome and sample size measures after initiation of accrual among trials supporting approval of drugs for hematological malignancies by the US food and drug administrationAssessment of frequency and reporting of design changes among clinical drug trials published in influential medical journalsTrust but Verify: Trial Registration and Determining Fidelity to the ProtocolDeborah A. Zarin, MD and Tony Tse, PhD 15 January 2013Volume 158, Issue 2Page: 139-140KeywordsConflicts of interestDepressionHepatitis AHepatitis C virusInterferons ePublished: 15 January 2013 Issue Published: 15 January 2013 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2013 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...