Can adding lurasidone to antidepressants lift depression that Won't budge?
NCT ID NCT07781293
First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 5 times
Summary
This Phase 3 trial is testing whether adding lurasidone—a medication typically used for other mental health conditions—can help adults with major depressive disorder who haven't improved enough on an antidepressant alone. Participants will keep taking their current antidepressant and be randomly assigned to receive either lurasidone (20, 40, or 60 mg daily) or a placebo for 8 weeks. The main goal is to see if lurasidone reduces depression symptoms more than placebo, with secondary measures looking at anxiety, functioning, and safety.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- lurasidone (an antipsychotic medication) added to a patient's current antidepressant
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a new option for people with depression who don't get enough relief from antidepressants alone, potentially improving their mood and daily functioning.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase 3 trial, but results are not yet known. Lurasidone may not prove more effective than placebo, and it can cause side effects like drowsiness, nausea, or movement issues.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 364 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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19 to 64 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Signed informed consent prior to participation * Outpatients aged 19-65 years * Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) per DSM-5 using MINI; psychotic features allowed * Current major depressive episode lasting ≥8 weeks at baseline * MADRS total score ≥24 at both screening and baseline * CGI-S score ≥4 at both screening and baseline * Documented history of antidepressant treatment (ADT) with inadequate response (\<50% improvement), confirmed by ATRQ * Currently on one of the allowed antidepressants (SSRI: citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline; SNRI: duloxetine, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, milnacipran; Others: bupropion, vortioxetine, amitriptyline, tianeptine, agomelatine) at minimum effective dose for ≥6 weeks * Agreement to maintain the same background ADT regimen until study completion * BMI between 16-40 kg/m² * Willingness to discontinue prohibited psychotropic medications during washout * Stable doses of permitted concomitant medications (oral hypoglycemics ≥30 days, thyroid replacement ≥90 days, antihypertensives ≥30 days, lipid-lowering agents ≥30 days before baseline) Exclusion Criteria: * Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or other psychotic disorders * Diagnosis within past 6 months of panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD, eating disorder, substance abuse/dependence (except caffeine/nicotine), or clinically significant personality disorder * ≥25% reduction in MADRS score between screening and baseline * Significant suicide risk (per C-SSRS, MADRS item 10 ≥5, recent suicide attempt, or investigator judgment) * First major depressive episode onset after age 60 * Treatment resistance: ≥3 adequate ADT trials without remission, or non-response to antipsychotic augmentation * Prior ECT, VNS, rTMS within 5 years or history of ECT failure * Known hypersensitivity to lurasidone or excipients * Use of prohibited medications (strong CYP3A4 inhibitors/inducers, QTc-prolonging drugs) within 14 days before randomization * Prior exposure to lurasidone or investigational CNS drugs (per protocol limits) * Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or unwillingness to use effective contraception; positive pregnancy test at screening or baseline * Clinically significant ECG abnormalities (QTcB ≥460 ms in men, ≥480 ms in women) * Clinically significant lab abnormalities: ALT/AST \>2× ULN, bilirubin \>1.5× ULN, Hb \<8 g/dL (women) or \<9 g/dL (men), ANC \<1,200/µL, HbA1c \>8%, HBsAg or HCV antibody positive (unless HCV RNA negative), CrCl \<50 mL/min, abnormal thyroid function (TSH, free T3/T4) * History of serious medical conditions: uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, recent MI, arrhythmia, active cancer (within 5 years, except basal/squamous cell skin cancer), GI surgery affecting absorption, uncontrolled endocrine disease, moderate/severe hepatic impairment, untreated sleep apnea, seizure disorders, dementia, HIV infection * Prolactin \>100 ng/mL or pituitary adenoma history * Investigator/site staff or family members of study personnel * Inability to comply with study procedures or anticipated relocation during study * More than 2 prior attempts at screening/washout for this study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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