Efficacy and safety of intravenous ketamine treatment in Japanese patients with treatment-resistant depression: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences December 1, 2024 Yohei Ohtani, Hideaki Tani, Kie Nomoto-Takahashi et al. 13 citations
In a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial with 34 Japanese patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression, intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) given twice a week for two weeks did not show a statistically significant advantage over placebo in reducing depression scores when all participants were analyzed together. However, among those who completed the full treatment protocol, ketamine led to a significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms than placebo. Higher baseline depression severity and body mass index were linked to greater symptom improvement with ketamine. Adverse events were more common with ketamine but no serious events occurred. These results suggest ketamine may be effective for treatment-resistant depression across diverse ethnic groups.