Fareed Aslam Minhas, Rusham Zahra Rana, Syed Usman Hamdani, Mowadat Hussain Rana.
Previda in Pakistan: Impact of Vortioxetine on Severity, Cognitive Dysfunctions, and Functionality in patients with Major Depression.
J Pak Psych Soc Jan ;18(1):22-33.

OBJECTIVE: To study the performance of vortioxetine as a medication intervention in depression in Pakistan. STUDY DESIGN: Non-interventional, multi-centred, cross-sectional, prospective study. PLACE AND DURATION OF THE STUDY: The study was conducted in 16 psychiatry outpatient clinics in seven cities across Pakistan namely Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Wah, Multan, Lahore, Karachi and the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An opportunity sample of 498 patients aged 18 and over, attending out-patient psychiatric clinics in the study sites with a diagnosis of MDD were asked to participate in the study. The psychiatrists had prescribed vortioxetine to the study participants after assessment of variable included in table 1 as baseline record, later assessment was conducted at approximately 1 week (+/- 3 days), 1 month ( +/- 7 days) and 3 months(+/- 14 days) after treatment initiation. RESULTS: 83.5 % of the inducted sample completed the study till third follow up. Vortioxetine improved perceived cognitive deficits and functioning of patients in follow up visits. 73.6% of the sample responded on first follow up as per PHQ-9 and 82.5% remitted till third follow up. Most patients expressed satisfaction on treatment with Vortioxetine, very few patients reported gastrointestinal adverse effects (one or less). No serious and non-serious adverse drug reactions spontaneously were reported by the patients or observed by the investigators for the duration of follow-up in the study. CONCLUSION: Vortioxetine experience in outpatient psychiatric clinics shows the therapeutic effectiveness of the compound. The claims of it to be efficacious in cognitive symptoms and cognitive functioning appears to stay substantiated. The drug also improves the social and occupational functioning as well as high tolerability. These features combine to improve treatment adherence.

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