title: Restoring Study 329: efficacy and harms of paroxetine and imipramine in treatment of major depression in adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reanalyse SmithKline Beecham's Study 329 (published by Keller and colleagues in 2001), the primary objective of which was to compare the efficacy and safety of paroxetine and imipramine with placebo in the treatment of adolescents with unipolar major depression. The reanalysis under the restoring invisible and abandoned trials (RIAT) initiative was done to see whether access to and reanalysis of a full dataset from a randomised controlled trial would have clinically relevant implications for evidence based medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Double blind randomised placebo controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  12 North American academic psychiatry centres, from 20 April 1994 to 15 February 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  275 adolescents with major depression of at least eight weeks in duration. Exclusion criteria included a range of comorbid psychiatric and medical disorders and suicidality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomised to eight weeks double blind treatment with paroxetine (20-40 mg), imipramine (200-300 mg), or placebo.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prespecified primary efficacy variables were change from baseline to the end of the eight week acute treatment phase in total Hamilton depression scale (HAM-D) score and the proportion of responders (HAM-D score ≤8 or ≥50% reduction in baseline HAM-D) at acute endpoint. Prespecified secondary outcomes were changes from baseline to endpoint in depression items in K-SADS-L, clinical global impression, autonomous functioning checklist, self-perception profile, and sickness impact scale; predictors of response; and number of patients who relapse during the maintenance phase. Adverse experiences were to be compared primarily by using descriptive statistics. No coding dictionary was prespecified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The efficacy of paroxetine and imipramine was not statistically or clinically significantly different from placebo for any prespecified primary or secondary efficacy outcome. HAM-D scores decreased by 10.7 (least squares mean) (95% confidence interval 9.1 to 12.3), 9.0 (7.4 to 10.5), and 9.1 (7.5 to 10.7) points, respectively, for the paroxetine, imipramine and placebo groups (P=0.20). There were clinically significant increases in harms, including suicidal ideation and behaviour and other serious adverse events in the paroxetine group and cardiovascular problems in the imipramine group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neither paroxetine nor high dose imipramine showed efficacy for major depression in adolescents, and there was an increase in harms with both drugs. Access to primary data from trials has important implications for both clinical practice and research, including that published conclusions about efficacy and safety should not be read as authoritative. The reanalysis of Study 329 illustrates the necessity of making primary trial data and protocols available to increase the rigour of the evidence base.
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Le Noury
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nardo
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.affiliation: Critical and Ethical Mental Health Research Group, Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Jon.Jureidini@adelaide.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jureidini
authors.affiliation: Critical and Ethical Mental Health Research Group, Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raven
authors.affiliation: Joanna Briggs Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Catalin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tufanaru
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Elia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abi-Jaoude
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D017374:Paroxetine; D007099:Imipramine