Psychiatria pre prax 1/2015

Vortioxetine – the antidepressant with multimodal activity

Antidepressants have an irreplaceable role in the treatment of major depressive disorder. The development of antidepressants was focused from drugs with a broader spectrum of mechanism of action to the drugs with a more specific activity like the group of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). Subsequently the antidepressants with more mechanisms but less adverse effects were introduced into clinical practice. After several years from the registration of the last available antidepressant (agomelatine), the new drug – vortioxetine – is available. Vortioxetine is the drug designed to specifically affect the serotonin system. It blocks the re-uptake of serotonin and has activity on several serotonin receptors 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT7, 5-HT1D and 5-HT3. This multimodal activity leads to the changes of several signaling systems in various CNS neuronal circuits. Vortioxetine was extensively studied on different groups of patients before the registration. The paper presents a basic overview of the pharmacological properties of vortioxetine and the results of the selected published studies.

Keywords: depression, antidepressants, vortioxetine, serotonin.