Comments on: Coming Soon: Abilify for Depression?

By: Annie

Annie — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:35:01 +0000

why does everything I read about abilify scare me away from taking it. I have read maybe 15 blogs and 2 were not negative. My dr. gave it to me and I’m scared to death to take it Annie

By: depression abilify

depression abilify — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:26:13 +0000

So the studies for the drug were not the best designed, but then the question is why did the FDA approve its review? Doesn’t that say something about the nature of the FDA as well?

By: GregRogers

GregRogers — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:24:10 +0000

Even at best, we are basing results based on clinician’s subjective reports. To mistake subjective observations that have been quantified as objective (scientific) data is the consistent error in supposed “empirical” research in the field of psychology.

So, normal: yes. Valid: not in my opinion. Subjectivity does not become objectivity simply by counting them up and showing numbers. Numbers look like scientific data, but disguise the way the data was collected. Subjects have bias, clinicians have bias.

By: John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

John M. Grohol, Psy.D. — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:03:05 +0000

Thanks for the reply. A study’s design actually does include the outcome measures chosen, and in this case, the poorly chosen outcome measures (a single, older, clinician-based rating) says a lot about the quality of this study. Which, I think, was your point (and which I’m in agreement).

Seriously, I would expect better for a study intended to gain FDA approval for a new use. (None of this, of course, stops docs from already prescribing Abilify for whatever they darned well please, though.)

By: CL Psych

CL Psych — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 15:40:47 +0000

John,

Thanks for discussing this issue. I think it would have been a better designed study had they taken a treatment resistant population (let’s suppose they failed to respond to an 8-week antidepressant regimen), then randomly assigned half to antidepressant + placebo and half to antidepressant + Abilify.

My guess is that the study was designed as it was (which was to only include those who had already shown inadequate treatment response on antidepressant + placebo) in order to give the best chance to make Abilify appear efficacious.

We can disagree on this point, but it seems we agree that the advantage shown on the MADRS was pretty small — i.e., Abilify didn’t look like a real breakthrough in the trial. I agree that a patient-rated measure (like the Beck Depression Inventory) would have made a nice addition — you’d think the opinion of the patient might be important in determining if a drug is an antidepressant!