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VIDEO: Next-generation therapies emerging for major depression

ORLANDO, Fla. — In this video interview, Michael Thase, MD, professor of psychiatry at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and from the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, talks about new directions in the therapeutics for major depressive disorders.

A new generation of treatments have emerged in the past 10 years, Thase explained, beginning with the discovery of the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine. He discusses current research looking at ALKS 5461 — a mixed opioid system modulator that combines buprenorphine and samidorphan — and psychedelics, such as psilocybin.

“These faster-acting systems [may] lead to targets for therapeutics that work in a way never before possible with conventional monoamine-targeted medications,” Thase said.

Disclosure: Thase reports his presentation was supported by an educational grant from Alkermes, Inc.