Venlafaxine's therapeutic reference range in the treatment of depression revised : a systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2023. The Author(s)..

INTRODUCTION: The selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine is among the most prescribed antidepressant drugs worldwide and, according to guidelines, its dose titration should be guided by drug-level monitoring of its active moiety (AM) which consists of venlafaxine (VEN) plus active metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV). This indication of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), however, assumes a clear concentration/effect relationship for a drug, which for VEN has not been systematically explored yet.

OBJECTIVES: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between blood levels, efficacy, and adverse reactions in order to suggest an optimal target concentration range for VEN oral formulations for the treatment of depression.

METHODS: Four databases (MEDLINE (PubMed), PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, and Cochrane Library) were systematically searched in March 2022 for relevant articles according to a previously published protocol. Reviewers independently screened references and performed data extraction and critical appraisal.

RESULTS: High-quality randomized controlled trials investigating concentration/efficacy relationships and studies using a placebo lead-in phase were not found. Sixty-eight articles, consisting mostly of naturalistic TDM studies or small noncontrolled studies, met the eligibility criteria. Of them, five cohort studies reported a positive correlation between blood levels and antidepressant effects after VEN treatment. Our meta-analyses showed (i) higher AM and (ii) higher ODV concentrations in patients responding to VEN treatment when compared to non-responders (n = 360, k = 5). AM concentration-dependent occurrence of tremor was reported in one study. We found a linear relationship between daily dose and AM concentration within guideline recommended doses (75-225 mg/day). The population-based concentration ranges (25-75% interquartile) among 11 studies (n = 3200) using flexible dosing were (i) 225-450 ng/ml for the AM and (ii) 144-302 ng/ml for ODV. One PET study reported an occupancy of 80% serotonin transporters for ODV serum levels above 85 ng/ml. Based on our findings, we propose a therapeutic reference range for AM of 140-600 ng/ml.

CONCLUSION: VEN TDM within a range of 140 to 600 ng/ml (AM) will increase the probability of response in nonresponders. A titration within the proposed reference range is recommended in case of non-response at lower drug concentrations as a consequence of VEN's dual mechanism of action via combined serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibition. Drug titration towards higher concentrations will, however, increase the risk for ADRs, in particular with supratherapeutic drug concentrations.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:241

Enthalten in:

Psychopharmacology - 241(2024), 2 vom: 22. Feb., Seite 275-289

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Lense, X M [VerfasserIn]
Hiemke, C [VerfasserIn]
Funk, C S M [VerfasserIn]
Havemann-Reinecke, U [VerfasserIn]
Hefner, G [VerfasserIn]
Menke, A [VerfasserIn]
Mössner, R [VerfasserIn]
Riemer, T G [VerfasserIn]
Scherf-Clavel, M [VerfasserIn]
Schoretsanitis, G [VerfasserIn]
Gründer, G [VerfasserIn]
Hart, X M [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

333DO1RDJY
7D7RX5A8MO
Antidepressant
Antidepressive Agents
Depression
Desvenlafaxine Succinate
Journal Article
Meta-Analysis
Norepinephrine
Serotonin
Systematic Review
Venlafaxine
Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
X4W3ENH1CV
ZB22ENF0XR

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 24.01.2024

Date Revised 22.04.2024

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1007/s00213-023-06484-7

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM363503358