NICE does not recommend Brintellix (vortioxetine) for treatment of depression- Lundbeck

In draft guidance for consultation, The National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) has asked Lundbeck to provide more information about its drug vortioxetine (Brintellix) for treating major depressive episodes in adults after selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy.The Committee acknowledged that having more treatment options was important for patients, and that vortioxetine may be beneficial for some people with a major depressive episode after initial treatment in primary care with a generic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

However, the Committee concluded that there was no convincing evidence to show that vortioxetine was any more or less effective than other antidepressants. They also felt the company had not sufficiently defined how vortioxetine would be used in the NHS, or reflected its potential position, within its economic model.The Committee was therefore minded not to recommend vortioxetine for treating adults with major depressive episodes after SSRI therapy.

Comment:The antidepressant received EU approval in December 2013 to treat major depressive episodes in adults. Vortioxetine is thought to act as a 5-HT3, 5-HT7 and 5-HT1D receptor antagonist, 5-HT1B partial agonist and 5-HT1A agonist.