Dextromethorphan/bupropion in major depressive disorder: a profile of its use

<p><strong>Declarations</strong></p> <p><strong>Funding</strong> The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Authorship and conflict of interest</strong> H. A. Blair is a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature and declares no relevant conflicts of interest. All authors contributed to the review and are responsible for the article content.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Ethics approval, Consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and material, Code availability</strong> Not applicable.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Additional information about this Adis Drug Review can be found <a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/adis/products-services/adis-journals-newsletters/adis-drug-reviews" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>Dextromethorphan/bupropion (AUVELITY®), an oral, fixed-dose combination of dextromethorphan hydrobromide and bupropion hydrochloride, is a useful treatment option for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Dextromethorphan is an uncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and sigma-1 receptor agonist. The antidepressant bupropion (an aminoketone and cytochrome P450 2D6 inhibitor) increases the bioavailability of dextromethorphan. In randomized, double-blind, clinical trials in patients with MDD, dextromethorphan/bupropion demonstrated early, clinically meaningful improvements in depressive symptoms, remission rates, and functional disability compared with placebo or sustained-release (SR) bupropion, with these improvements sustained over the longer term. Dextromethorphan/bupropion was generally well tolerated, including in the long term, and was not associated with a signal for increased psychotomimetic effects, weight gain, or increased suicidal behaviors.</p> <p><br></p> <p>  </p> <p><strong>©</strong> Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023</p> <p><br></p>