The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.’s Auvelity tablets for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.
Auvelity (dextromethorphan HBr -bupropion HCl) is the first and only rapid-acting oral medicine approved for the treatment of MDD with labeling of statistically significant antidepressant efficacy compared to placebo starting at one week. The rapid antidepressant effects of Auvelity were sustained at all subsequent timepoints.
Auvelity is the first and only oral N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of MDD. Axsome anticipates Auvelity to be commercially available in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Efficacy seen ‘in one week’
Maurizio Fava, psychiatrist-in-chief, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, executive director, Clinical Trials Network & Institute, Associate Dean for Clinical & Translational Research, and Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School said: “The approval of Auvelity represents a milestone in depression treatment based on its novel oral NMDA antagonist mechanism, its rapid antidepressant efficacy demonstrated in controlled trials, and a relatively favorable safety profile.
“Auvelity, which was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA, represents the first new oral non-monoamine-based mechanism of action approved to treat major depressive disorder in over sixty years. Nearly two thirds of patients treated with currently available antidepressants do not adequately respond, and those that do may not achieve clinically meaningful responses for up to six to eight weeks. Given the debilitating nature of depression, the efficacy of Auvelity observed at one week and sustained thereafter may have a significant impact on the current treatment paradigm for this condition.”
Michael Pollock, CEO of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), said: “The mental health crisis in the United States is one of the most pressing health issues facing our country today. Over 20 million American adults experienced major depressive disorder each year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These numbers increased dramatically during the pandemic with approximately thirty percent of adults in the U.S. or more than 80 million Americans experiencing elevated symptoms of depression. The need for new treatment options, particularly those with new mechanisms of action, could not be clearer and more urgent for those living with, or impacted by, major depressive disorder.”
The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for Auvelity for the treatment of MDD in March 2019. This designation is granted to candidate drugs that show potential for benefit above that of available therapies based on preliminary clinical data, and it provides the sponsor with added focus from and greater interactions with FDA staff during the development of the candidate drug.
How it works
Auvelity works on the NMDA receptor, an ionotropic glutamate receptor, and on the sigma-1 receptor in the brain via its dextromethorphan component. The bupropion component of Auvelity is an aminoketone that increases blood levels of dextromethorphan by competitively inhibiting cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6), which catalyzes a major biotransformation pathway for dextromethorphan.
Herriot Tabuteau, CEO of Axsome said: “The approval of Auvelity is the culmination of the tremendous and focused research and development activities conducted by the Axsome team and our collaborators. We are extremely proud to deliver this Breakthrough Therapy-designated new treatment to the millions of patients living with depression at a time when it is most needed, given the recent sharp increase in depression prevalence.
“We are thrilled to contribute to potentially fundamental advances in neuropsychiatry by providing clinicians the first rapid-acting oral antidepressant demonstrated with FDA labeling, and the first oral glutamatergic medicine approved for depression. Auvelity and the rest of the Axsome neuroscience portfolio reflect our steadfast commitment to developing and delivering potentially life-changing medicines to people living with serious central nervous system disorders.”