Characteristics of patients with depression initiating or switching antidepressant treatment: baseline analyses of the PERFORM cohort study.

Background: Patients who require a switch in their antidepressant therapy may have different clinical profiles and treatment needs compared with patients initiating or maintaining a first-line antidepressant therapy.

Methods: The Prospective Epidemiological Research on Functioning Outcomes Related to Major depressive disorder (MDD) (PERFORM) study was a 2-year observational cohort study in outpatients with MDD in five European countries. Enrolled patients were either initiating or undergoing the first switch to an antidepressant monotherapy.

Creating an index to measure health state of depressed patients in automated healthcare databases: the methodology.

: Automated healthcare databases (AHDB) are an important data source for real life drug and healthcare use. In the filed of depression, lack of detailed clinical data requires the use of binary proxies with important limitations. The study objective was to create a Depressive Health State Index (DHSI) as a continuous health state measure for depressed patients using available data in an AHDB.

A Trial-Based Predictive Microsimulation Assessing the Public Health Benefits of Nalmefene and Psychosocial Support for the Reduction of Alcohol Consumption in Alcohol Dependence.

Background: Alcohol dependence causes considerable harm to patients. Treatment with nalmefene, aiming to reduce consumption rather than maintain complete abstinence, has been licensed based on trials demonstrating a reduction in total alcohol consumption and heavy drinking days. Relating these trial outcomes to harmful events avoided is important to demonstrate the clinical relevance of nalmefene treatment.

A cross-sectional study of functional disabilities and perceived cognitive dysfunction in patients with major depressive disorder in South Korea: The PERFORM-K study.

PERFORM-K was a cross-sectional observational study that investigated functional disability, productivity and quality of life in MDD outpatients in South Korea, and the associations of these with depressive symptoms, perceived cognitive dysfunction and other factors. A total of 312 outpatients who started antidepressant monotherapy underwent a single study interview. Physicians and patients assessed depression severity.

The Effects of as-Needed Nalmefene on Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life in Relation to a Reduction in Alcohol Consumption in Alcohol-Dependent Patients.

Background: The objective of this article was to investigate the effect of as-needed nalmefene on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with alcohol dependence, and to relate changes in drinking behavior and status to HRQoL outcomes.

Methods: This post hoc analysis was conducted on a pooled subgroup of patients with at least a high drinking risk level (men: >60 g/day; women: >40 g/day) who participated in one of two randomized controlled 6-month studies, ESENSE 1 and ESENSE 2. Patients received nalmefene 18 mg or placebo on an as-needed basis, in addition to a motivational and adherence-enhancing intervention (BRENDA).