An extended-release oral tablet formulation of ketamine has shown promise for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) results of a phase 2 proof-of-concept study suggest.

In the trial, twice weekly dosing of extended-release ketamine led to statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms. 

Overall tolerability was “excellent,” researchers reported, and common side effects commonly associated with intravenous or intranasal ketamine such as dissociation, sedation, and increased blood pressure were “minimal.”

“Having a tablet formulation makes it possible for patients to be safely dosed at home and would increase the number of patients who could be treated at any one time,” study investigator Paul Glue, MBChB, MD, with University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, told Medscape Medical News. 

The study was published online on June 24 in Nature Medicine. 

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