Austin doctor studying a new kind of medication for major depressive disorder

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6 days ago

Austin psychiatrist Dr. Donald J. Garcia is enrolling patients in a study on a new kind of medication for major depressive disorder.
While drug companies have created many medications that help increase serotonin, that neurotransmitter chemical that is our natural mood stabilizer in the brain, only about 60% to 70% of patients will respond to those medications, Garcia said.
The major depressive disorder medication, BHV-7000, is different than those that focus on serotonin because it focuses on potassium channels, which help regulate the activity of neurons in the brain.
The channels "could help calm the brain and get it back to a normal state," Garcia said. "This is an interesting hypothesis."
Garcia and his company Austin Clinical Trial Partners are enrolling up to 306 people ages 18 to 75 in a trial to study the drug, which is made by the biopharmaceutical company Biohaven.
For the trial, Garcia is looking for people who are having a major depressive disorder episode lasting two months up to 24 months. They must stop taking their depression medication at least two weeks prior to enrolling in the study, and cannot be having suicidal thoughts.
Interested participants will receive a physical exam and testing to make sure they are medically stable before beginning the study.
Garcia noted that having major depressive disorder doesn't just mean you are depressed, which is a description of a mood state. It's "depression plus other symptoms that become a clinical syndrome," he said.
Those symptoms may include insomnia, a loss of interest in things you used to love, or simply not taking pleasure in daily life. They are constant, lasting for longer than just one or two days, and can creep up on you, Garcia said.
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Half of the people in the study will receive the BHV-7000 medication and half will receive a placebo. No one will know which group they have been assigned to.
Enrollees will continue taking the medication or the placebo for six weeks. After that part of the study concludes, they may opt to continue with the study and would be guaranteed to receive the medication for 52 weeks. Garcia said he feels better knowing that he can offer the medication to all participants after the initial study period ends.
While in the study, participants will receive free psychiatric care.
Such clinical trials "bring us closer to the understanding of how depression might come about," Garcia said. "It might be caused by a number of different mechanisms or issues."
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To find out more about the study and if they qualify, people can visit mddclinicalstudy.com or austinclinicaltrialpartners.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin doctor studying major depressive disorder medication