A Depression and Opioid Pragmatic Trial in Pharmacogenetics (Depression Trial)

Pain and depression are conditions that impact substantial proportions of the US population. Finding safe and effective drug therapies for both conditions is challenging. In the case of treatment for acute and chronic pain, the challenge is finding effective therapy while minimizing adverse effects or opioid addiction (and the ensuing consequences). For depression, there are few clinically relevant predictors of successful treatment leading to multiple trials of inadequate therapy for some patients. Both opioid and antidepressant prescriptions can be guided by pharmacogenetics (PGx) data based on existing guidelines from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC). This study is designed to evaluate the impact of pharmacogenetic testing and genotype-guided pain or anti-depressant therapy on pain control or depression symptoms in a pragmatic setting. The rationale for examining a genotype-guided approach to acute and chronic pain management is based on the importance of CYP2D6 for the bioactivation of tramadol, codeine, and hydrocodone and data from a pilot study supporting improved pain control in intermediate and poor CYP2D6 metabolizers in the genotype-guided arm who are taking these drugs at baseline. Similarly, the rationale for examining a genotype-guided approach to depression medication therapy is based on the demonstrated role of CYP2D6 in the bio inactivation and CYP2C19 oxidation of select, commonly used SSRIs. Secondly, data from industry sponsored trials support the hypothesis of improved depression symptom control in a genotype-guided arm. Study objectives: Determine if genotype-guided dosing or selection of antidepressants among participants with at least 3 months of depressive symptoms who require new or revised antidepressant therapy leads to improved control of depression, compared to usual care.