International clinical psychopharmacologyOct 6, 2007

Desvenlafaxine's effects compared to placebo in treating major depression in a controlled clinical trial

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 3, 2026

Abstract

Desvenlafaxine 200 and 400 mg/day resulted in greater improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression compared to placebo.

Both doses of desvenlafaxine showed greater efficacy than placebo on multiple depression rating scales.
Desvenlafaxine 200 mg/day was significantly more effective than placebo in achieving remission and reducing pain intensity.
Desvenlafaxine 400 mg/day demonstrated improved outcomes in specific pain intensity measures compared to placebo.
Most adverse events reported were mild or moderate, with few significant changes noted in vital signs and lab tests.
The findings support the potential efficacy and safety of desvenlafaxine for treating major depressive disorder.

Simplified

The antidepressant efficacy and safety of desvenlafaxine succinate (desvenlafaxine) were evaluated in a phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Outpatients with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder were treated with fixed once-daily doses of desvenlafaxine 200 or 400 mg for 8 weeks. The primary efficacy measure was change from baseline on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. At the final on-therapy evaluation, adjusted mean change from baseline in 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score was greater for desvenlafaxine 200 and 400 mg/day vs. placebo. Both desvenlafaxine doses showed greater efficacy than placebo on the secondary efficacy measures, including the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale scores, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores, CGI-Severity, and 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression response rate. Desvenlafaxine 200 mg/day was also significantly better than placebo on remission, Visual Analog Scale-Pain Intensity overall scores, and some Visual Analog Scale-Pain Intensity subscale scores. Desvenlafaxine 400 mg/day was significantly better than placebo on selected Visual Analog Scale-Pain Intensity subscale scores. Most adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, and safety assessments revealed few clinically significant changes in vital signs, laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram results. These data provide support for the efficacy and safety of desvenlafaxine in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Desvenlafaxine's effects compared to placebo in treating major depression in a controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief