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Fictional patients used for illustrative purposes.

As someone who loves to socialise and meet her friends for coffee, Rebecca should feel excited about catching up with a friend she hasn’t seen in a long time.

But when the day arrived, she felt empty, emotionless, and numb, and she struggled to make the journey to meet her friend.

The impact of anhedonia can make it hard for people with depression to enjoy activities that were previously pleasurable.2

Anhedonia:

Defined as the lack of enjoyment from, engagement in, or energy for life’s experiences; deficits in capacity to feel pleasure and take interest in things2

Anhedonia is a common symptom of MDD reported in up to 75% of depressive patients (n=15/20)3

Brintellix may help people like Rebecca by reducing feelings of anhedonia vs. baseline4

MDD, major depressive disorder.  

Brintellix may help patients take more pleasure from everyday activities vs baseline4

In a post-hoc, open-label study of patients with MDD treated with Brintellix:4

  • Both SHAPS and MADRS anhedonia factor scores improved significantly from baseline to week 8 (n=79)
  • Improvements from baseline in anhedonia correlated with improvements from baseline in general function (as measured by SDS) and quality of life (as measured by WHO-5)
  • The results showed that anhedonia improvement was a strong mediator of the association between improvement in depressive symptoms and improvement in social functioning
Change in SHAPS scores from baseline
Change in MADRS anhedonia factor scores from baseline
Adapted from: Cao B et al. 2019.4 SHAPS score was a pre-planned secondary outcome measure. MADRS anhedonia factor consisted of MADRS items: 1 (apparent sadness), 2 (reported sadness), 6 (concentration difficulties), 7 (lassitude), 8 (inability to feel).

MADRS, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale; MDD, major depressive disorder; SDS, Sheehan Disability Scale; SHAPS, Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale; WHO-5, 5-Item World Health Organization Well-Being Index.

Emotional blunting:

Emotional blunting is a condition characterised by a restriction in emotions, which presents clinically as emotional indifference, detachment, reduced responsiveness, low motivation, and apathy5

Emotional blunting impacts the day-to-day functioning of patients with MDD5 and was reported by nearly half (46%; n=310/669) of patients receiving a SSRI, SNRI or TCAD for the treatment of MDD6

SNRI, serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TCAD, tricyclic antidepressant.

50% of patients with MDD reported no emotional blunting at week 8 with Brintellix after switching from an SSRI or SNRI (n=71/143)7

In an interventional, 8-week, open-label study of Brintellix:7

  • Improvements in emotional blunting were observed after just 1 week of treatment as seen on the ODQ scale and MADRS anhedonia factor score
  • Brintellix improved emotional blunting independently of improvements in depressive symptoms
    • (Emotional blunting was assessed using the patient-reported ODQ total score)
Mean change in ODQ domain scores from baseline (FAS, MMRM; n=143)
Adapted from Fagiolini A et al. 2021.7 *nominal p<0.0001; †nominal p0.001; ‡nominal p<0.05. Positive reduction defined as reduction in positive emotions.7 General reduction defined as general reduction in emotions.8

FAS, full analysis set; ODQ, Oxford Depression Questionnaire; MADRS, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale; MDD, Major Depressive Disorder; MMRM, mixed model for repeated measures

For further information about Brintellix, including Tolerability, Special Warnings and Precautions and Contraindications, please visit the About Brintellix Section

about brintellix

Explore more in the sections below:

Adverse events should be reported.

Reporting forms and information can be found at http://www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Adverse events should also be reported to Lundbeck Limited, Medical Information, on: 01908 638972 or Email: SafetyLuUnitedKingdom@lundbeck.com

References
  • Lundbeck. Brintellix. Summary of Product Characteristics GB and NI.
  • American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). 2022. American Psychiatric Association Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787. [Last accessed September 2023].
  • Franken IHA, et al. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2007 Sep 20;99(1-3):83-89.
  • Cao B et al. Front Psychiatry 2019;10:17.
  • Price J and Goodwin GM et al. Medicographia 2009;31:152–156.
  • Goodwin GM et al. J Affect Disord 2017;221:31-35.
  • Fagiolini A et al. J Affect Disord 2021;283:472–479.
  • Price J, et al. J Affect Disord. 2012 September;140(1):66-74.
UK-BRIN-1280 | September 2023

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