Delving into the Latest Updates on Escitalopram with Synapse

Overview

Basic Info

SummaryEscitalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used as an antidepressant and anxiolytic medication. It was developed in close cooperation between Lundbeck and Forest Laboratories. Escitalopram was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2002, and the approval was granted to Forest Laboratories, which was later acquired by Allergan, now part of AbbVie. Now escitalopram is marketed under various brand names, including Lexapro, Cipralex, and Seroplex, and is available in tablet and oral solution forms. Its mechanism of action involves inhibition of the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, leading to increased levels of serotonin in the synaptic cleft and enhancement of serotonergic neurotransmission. This ultimately leads to improvement in mood and reduction in anxiety symptoms. Escitalopram was originally developed and approved for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). It has since been approved for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) as well.

Drug Type

Small molecule drug

Synonyms

Escitalopram (INN), 艾斯西酞普兰, Esertia

Target

SERT

Mechanism

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Therapeutic Areas

Other Diseases

Active Indication-

Inactive Indication

Depressive Disorder

Originator Organization

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.

Active Organization

University of Oxford

Inactive Organization

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.

Drug Highest PhasePhase 1/2

First Approval Date-

Regulation-

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Structure/Sequence

Molecular FormulaC20H21FN2O

InChIKeyWSEQXVZVJXJVFP-FQEVSTJZSA-N

CAS Registry128196-01-0

Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as escitalopram are widely used for mood and anxiety disorders. However, they have also been explored, with promising findings, for a variety of disorders outside of psychiatry. Clinical studies of SSRIs in depressed people with asthma were associated with decreased asthma exacerbations and improvement in asthma control. In this study, the number of asthma exacerbations will be assessed as the primary outcome measure, in patients using escitalopram vs. placebo.

Start Date01 Apr 2025

Sponsor / Collaborator

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

[+1]

NCT06696482

/ Not yet recruitingPhase 1/2IIT

Effort and Antidepressant Study Test

The aim of this study is to investigate the behavioural effects and neural correlates of increasing serotonin levels in healthy volunteers, through a 7-day course of the SSRI escitalopram, on an effort-based decision-making task measuring self-benefiting and prosocial behaviours.

Start Date01 Jan 2025

Sponsor / Collaborator

University of Oxford

[+1]

CTRI/2024/08/072643

/ Not yet recruitingPhase 2/3IIT

A Comparative Study between Escitalopram (Modern Medicine) and Jyotishmati (Ayurveda) in Depressive Disorder - Treatment Trial

Start Date22 Aug 2024

Sponsor / Collaborator-

100 Clinical Results associated with Escitalopram

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100 Translational Medicine associated with Escitalopram

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100 Patents (Medical) associated with Escitalopram

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3,478

Literatures (Medical) associated with Escitalopram

01 Feb 2025·Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Hyponatremia Associated with the Use of Common Antidepressants in the All of Us Research Program

Article

Author: Larson, Eric A. ; Channa, Yamna ; Babbar, Anav ; Keaton, Jacob M. ; Mo, Huan ; Schlueter, David J. ; Tran, Tam C. ; Goleva, Slavina B. ; Ferrara, Tracey M. ; Denny, Joshua C. ; Waxse, Bennett J. ; Stubblefield, Onajia ; Wilke, Russell A. ; Awan, Anas H. ; Williams, Ariel

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), serotonin‐norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), and norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NRI) antidepressants can cause hyponatremia through syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). This study assesses the differential risks of hyponatremia associated with commonly prescribed SSRIs (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram), SNRIs (duloxetine, venlafaxine) and NRI (bupropion), as well as omeprazole as a reference, with a retrospective observational cohort study in the All of Us Research Program, a national multicenter research cohort containing de‐identified electronic health records (EHR). Participants who had been prescribed monotherapy with any of eight common antidepressants were included, with each drug considered as a separate arm indexed with a start date. Events were defined as the first occurrence of a low plasma sodium measurement or a clinical diagnosis recorded for either hyponatremia or SIADH. Those who did not have events were censored at their last plasma sodium measurement. A total of 17,439 individuals were exposed to one of the eight antidepressants as monotherapy. The overall incidences for hyponatremia were 0.87% in the first 30 days and 10.5% in the first 3 years in the antidepressant arms. Compared to sertraline, duloxetine (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.37 [1.19–1.58]) and escitalopram (HR = 1.16 [1.01–1.33]) were associated with the highest overall risk of hyponatremia, and bupropion (HR = 0.83 [0.73–0.94]) and paroxetine (HR = 0.78 [0.65–0.93]) were associated with the lowest risk. The risks were unchanged after adjusting for comorbidity and polypharmacy. Such information could help guide providers in managing patients and their risks of hyponatremia when on common antidepressants.

01 Feb 2025·Neuroscience

Escitalopram reverses anxiety-like and despair behavior and affects endocannabinoid-related genes expression in the brain of adolescent male rats subjected to early life stress

Article

Author: Gołyszny, Miłosz ; Zieliński, Michał ; Starowicz, Katarzyna ; Popiołek-Barczyk, Katarzyna ; Dragon, Jonasz ; Obuchowicz, Ewa

Due to the increasing prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in youth, a growing interest in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) as a potential alternative target point for treatment arised. This study aimed to investigate whether chronic administration of escitalopram reverses behavioral changes induced by maternal separation in male adolescent Wistar rats and explore the corresponding neurochemical changes in the ECS. The pups were separated from their dams for 360 min daily from postnatal day (PND) 2 until PND 15. Later, male rats were administered escitalopram (10 mg/kg i.p.) during their adolescent period (PND 35 - PND 55). Behavioral assessments were conducted in late adolescence (PND 54 - PND 57) in one group, and brain structures were dissected for biochemical analysis in the subsequent group of rats on PND 56. Expression of genes encoding: CB1 receptor, enzyme that catalyzes synthesis (NAPE-PLD) and degradation (FAAH) of anandamide (a full agonist of CB1 receptor) was evaluated using qRT-PCR. The corresponding protein levels were estimated via Western blot analysis. Our study revealed that maternal separation induced anxiety and despair-like behavior in adolescent rats. Escitalopram reversed anxiety-like behavior and attenuated signs of despair behavior. The escitalopram administration has been followed by a decrease in the studied genes expression in the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampus, what might suggest that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the mechanism of its action in adolescents. However Western blot analysis did not indicate significant alterations in the protein levels, so more detailed studies are needed to verify this hypothesis.

01 Feb 2025·Biological Psychiatry

Effect of Antidepressant Treatment on 5-HT4 Receptor Binding and Associations With Clinical Outcomes and Verbal Memory in Major Depressive Disorder

Article

Author: Jorgensen, Anders ; Frokjaer, Vibe G ; Knudsen, Gitte M. ; Frokjaer, Vibe G. ; Larsen, Søren V ; Larsen, Søren V. ; Ip, Cheng Teng ; Dam, Vibeke H. ; Knudsen, Gitte M ; Madsen, Jacob ; Svarer, Claus ; Jørgensen, Martin B ; Köhler-Forsberg, Kristin ; Dam, Vibeke H ; Ozenne, Brice ; Stenbæk, Dea S. ; Stenbæk, Dea S ; Ip, Cheng-Teng ; Jørgensen, Martin B.

BACKGROUNDBrain serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT₄R) levels are lower in untreated patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and are linked to verbal memory. Here, we investigated the relationship between 5-HT₄R levels, clinical outcomes, and cognitive function in patients with MDD who initiated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drug treatment.METHODSNinety patients with moderate to severe depression underwent molecular brain imaging to measure 5-HT₄R binding prior to antidepressant treatment with escitalopram. Pretreatment 5-HT₄R binding was assessed for its ability to predict treatment outcome at weeks 4, 8, or 12. In 40 patients who were rescanned 8 weeks posttreatment, change in cerebral 5-HT₄R binding was correlated with change in verbal memory and with change in depressive symptoms, as evaluated by the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.RESULTSAfter 8 weeks of serotonergic intervention, neostriatal 5-HT₄R binding was reduced by 9%. Global change in 5-HT₄R binding from baseline was associated with verbal memory outcomes, but not with overall clinical depressive symptom outcomes. Pretreatment 5-HT₄R binding did not predict clinical recovery status at week 8 and was not associated with change in the 6-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores.CONCLUSIONSIn patients with moderate to severe MDD, treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors downregulated neostriatal 5-HT₄R levels, which is consistent with the notion that the drugs increase cerebral extracellular serotonin. The less global brain 5-HT₄R levels were downregulated after selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the more verbal memory improved, highlighting the potential importance of 5-HT₄R as a treatment target in MDD. The findings offer insights into mechanisms that underlie antidepressant effects and point to new directions for precision medicine treatments for MDD.

1

News (Medical) associated with Escitalopram

01 Jul 2024

·www.drugs.com

Small Differences in Weight Change With First-Line Antidepressants

MONDAY, July 1, 2024 -- For eight first-line antidepressants, small differences are seen in mean weight change, with the least weight gain with bupropion, according to a study published online July 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine . Joshua Petimar, Sc.D., from Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute in Boston, and colleagues conducted an observational cohort study over 24 months to compare weight change across common first-line antidepressant treatments using electronic health record data for 183,118 patients. Initiation of treatment with sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, bupropion, duloxetine, or venlafaxine was ascertained using prescription data. The researchers found that the estimated six-month weight gain was higher for escitalopram, paroxetine, duloxetine, venlafaxine, and citalopram than sertraline (differences, 0.41, 0.37, 0.34, 0.17, and 0.12 kg, respectively), was similar for fluoxetine (difference, −0.07 kg), and was lower for bupropion (difference, −0.22 kg). A 10 to 15 percent higher risk for gaining at least 5 percent of baseline weight was seen for escitalopram, paroxetine, and duloxetine, while a 15 percent reduced risk was seen for bupropion. Associations were stronger, with wider confidence intervals, when the effects of initiation and adherence were estimated. There was variation seen in six-month adherence, from 28 to 42 percent for duloxetine and bupropion, respectively. "Clinicians and patients could consider these differences when making decisions about specific antidepressants, especially given the complex relationships of obesity and depression with health, quality of life, and stigma," the authors write.

Clinical Result

100 Deals associated with Escitalopram

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External Link

KEGG	Wiki	ATC	Drug Bank
D07913	Escitalopram	N06AB10	DB01175

R&D Status

10 top R&D records.

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Indication	Highest Phase	Country/Location	Organization	Date
Depressive Disorder	Phase 2	-	Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.	-

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Clinical Result

Indication

Phase

Evaluation

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Study	Phase	Population	Analyzed Enrollment	Group	Results	Evaluation	Publication Date


NCT03429075 (Literature) Manual	Phase 2	Major depressive disorder, moderate (MDD)	59	Psilocybin combined with psychological support	(xfbpyylxdc): Difference = 1.51 (95% CI, -1.35 to 4.38), P-Value = 0.311 View more	Positive	21 Sep 2024
				Escitalopram combined with psychological support
NCT01479829 (CTgov)	Phase 4	Depressive Disorder \| Inflammation	100	Escitalopram+Celecoxib (Intervention Cohort)	(gwximeywqi): Chi-square value = 5.3466, P-Value = 0.02 View more	-	09 Apr 2024
				Placebo+Escitalopram (Control Cohort)
NCT03388164 (CTgov)	Phase 2	Depressive Disorder	23	RT2CK17+Escitalopram (Escitalopram + RT2CK17)	oekxdvnikx(hmxftjdxwg) = ftdxjdqzlz togkiwaqyb (icwcqvqkbg, uynyufmhfe - bmkwbrdpth) View more	-	16 Sep 2021
				Escitalopram + Placebo (Escitalopram + Placebo)	oekxdvnikx(hmxftjdxwg) = morkcafeil togkiwaqyb (icwcqvqkbg, xkrpeqvaga - xgkshlfwiz) View more
S-CitAD Study (AAIC2018)	Not Applicable	Agitation	589	Escitalopram 15 mg	(geawdtnkax) = fuisbkvcua sdnrfqitgy (ayncqvcero )	-	01 Jul 2018
				Placebo	(geawdtnkax) = iscjcnjssb sdnrfqitgy (ayncqvcero )
ISC2016	Not Applicable	Cognition \| Nervous System Diseases \| Mood Disorders	405	Escitalopram	zahmnzlrfi(jmpzljtxje) = ttodctccgi uduncryzqk (vrghklwlym )	Negative	01 Feb 2016
				Placebo	zahmnzlrfi(jmpzljtxje) = nkwacrhawt uduncryzqk (vrghklwlym )
NCT01876823 (CTgov)	Phase 2/3	Alzheimer Disease \| Depressive Disorder, Major \| Mild cognitive disorder	60	es-citalopram+memantine	vevitfoifp(qyejynnkmb) = xvrwdphkrc uwxfgdslzq (uqofdkmsax, vhymafyhal - oqqeonzdij) View more	-	24 Oct 2014
AAIC2009	Not Applicable	Impairment of Executive Functions	135	Escitalopram	sugocdotej(jtzliworff) = lzdniidemc ykoebiuqzv (ajpbyokeor )	-	01 Jul 2009
				Tianeptine	sugocdotej(jtzliworff) = uxoftiydfc ykoebiuqzv (ajpbyokeor )