Efficacy and safety of quetiapine for depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of quetiapine for depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Method Thirty-nine patients fulfilling DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia and had depressive symptoms were studied in a prospective 6-week open-label design using quetiapine monotherapy. The brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-17), Simpson-Angus rating scale, and the Barnes Akathisia rating scale (BARS) were used to assess patients at baseline, week 1, 2, 4, and 6. Results Thirty patients (76.9%) completed this study. The dose of quetiapine at endpoint was 583 (+/-235 SD) mg/day. Treatment with Quetiapine was associated with significantly reduced depressive symptoms (HAMD-17 total score and BPRS depression/anxiety subscale) from the first week of treatment. Changes of mean score from baseline to endpoint were 7.8 +/- 6.2 for HAMD-17 total score and 3.4 +/- 3.6 for BPRS depression/anxiety subscale (LOCF, n=39, p < 0.001). Quetiapine was well tolerated, with minimal extrapyramidal symptoms and non-significant increase in body weight (mean increase of 0.8 kg). Conclusions While the interpretation of findings from the open-label design of this study warrants appropriate caution, the results suggest that quetiapine may be an effective and tolerable treatment for depression in patients with schizophrenia. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.