A Study of Esketamine Nasal Spray Versus Placebo Spray in Adult Participants With Treatment-resistant Depression
A Randomized, Double-blind, Multicenter, Placebo-controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Esketamine Nasal Spray, Administered as Monotherapy, in Adult Participants With Treatment-resistant Depression
- Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant
At a glance
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Sponsor
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC
- Enrolment target
- 348
- Started
- 23 July 2026
- Main results due
- 27 December 2028
- Study sites
- 22
- Registry updated
- 25 September 2026
Can you take part?
- Aged 18 years and over.
- Open to any sex.
- You need the condition being studied — healthy volunteers are not accepted.
These are the headline rules only. Every study has a longer list, and whether you are eligible is decided by the research team at the site — never by this page.
Read the full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Participant must meet the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edition) (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for single-episode major depressive disorder (MDD) (if single episode MDD, the duration of the episode must be greater than or equal to \[\>=\] 12 months) or recurrent MDD, without psychotic features, based upon clinical assessment and confirmed by the mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI) as the primary diagnosis. Participant must have had the first onset of depression prior to 55 years of age * Participant must have had nonresponse (less than or equal to \[\<=\] 25 percent \[%\] improvement) to \>=2 oral antidepressant treatments in the current episode of depression, assessed using the massachusetts general hospital-antidepressant treatment response questionnaire (MGH-ATRQ), and confirmed by documented records (for example, medical/pharmacy/prescription records or a letter from a treating physician) * The participant's current major depressive episode, depression symptom severity, and antidepressant treatment response in the current depressive episode, must be confirmed by the state versus trait, assessability, face validity, ecological validity, rule of three P's (SAFER) Interview * Participant must be comfortable with self-administration of nasal spray medication and be able to follow the nasal spray administration instructions provided * A female participant of childbearing potential must have a negative highly sensitive serum (β-human chorionic gonadotropin \[β-hCG\]) at the start of screening and a negative urine pregnancy test must be obtained before the first dose of study drug on Day 1, prior to randomization Exclusion Criteria: * The participant has used ketamine/esketamine (lifetime) * The participant's depressive symptoms have demonstrated nonresponse in the current major depressive episode to an adequate course of treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), defined as at least 7 treatments with unilateral/bilateral ECT, or to adequate course of treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), defined as at least 4 weeks of treatment with 5 sessions per week * Participant has received vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the current episode of depression * Participant has homicidal ideation/intent, per the investigator's clinical judgment, or has suicidal ideation with some intent to act within 6 months prior to the start of the screening phase, per the investigator's clinical judgment or based on the columbia suicide severity rating scale (C-SSRS), corresponding to a response of "Yes" on Item 4 (active suicidal ideation with some intent to act, without specific plan) or Item 5 (active suicidal ideation with specific plan and intent) for suicidal ideation on the C-SSRS, or a history of suicidal behavior within the past year prior to the start of the screening phase. Participants reporting suicidal ideation with intent to act or suicidal behavior prior to the start of the double-blind treatment phase should be excluded * Participant has a history of moderate or severe substance or alcohol use disorder according to DSM-5 criteria, except nicotine or caffeine, within 6 months before the start of the screening phase. a. A history (lifetime) of ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or 3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) hallucinogen-related use disorder is exclusionary * Participant has a current or history of seizures (uncomplicated childhood febrile seizures with no sequelae are not exclusionary)
What this study is about
In the sponsor’s own words, from the registry.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate how well each individual dose of esketamine (56 milligrams \[mg\] and 84 mg) works when compared with placebo in improving depressive symptoms in participants with treatment resistant depression (individuals with major depressive disorder \[MDD\] who have not responded to at least 2 different antidepressant treatments given at an adequate dose for an adequate duration in the current episode of depression).
Study sites(22)
Anderson Clinical Research
Redlands, California, United States
Recruiting
Artemis Institute for Clinical Research
San Diego, California, United States
Recruiting
Psych Atlanta, P.C.
Marietta, Georgia, United States
Recruiting
Psychiatric Medicine Associates LLC
Skokie, Illinois, United States
Recruiting
Neurobehavioral Research Inc
Cedarhurst, New York, United States
Recruiting
The Medical Research Network, LLC
New York, New York, United States
Recruiting
Northwest Clinical Research Center
Bellevue, Washington, United States
Recruiting
Kishiro Mental Clinic
Kawasaki, Japan
Recruiting
Tatsuta Clinic
Kobe, Japan
Recruiting
National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
Kodaira-shi, Japan
Recruiting
Ichikawa Clinic
Maebashi, Japan
Recruiting
The Jikei University Hospital
Minatoku, Japan
Recruiting
Kyorin University Hospital
Mitaka, Japan
Recruiting
Arata Clinic
Nagasaki, Japan
Recruiting
Hokkaido University Hospital
Sapporo, Japan
Recruiting
Sangenjaya neurology-psychosomatic clinic
Setagaya Ku, Japan
Recruiting
Maynds Tower Mental Clinic
Shibuya-ku, Japan
Recruiting
Tottori University Hospital
Tottori, Japan
Recruiting
Chung Shan Medical University Hospital
Taichung, Taiwan
Recruiting
Taipei Medical University
Taipei, Taiwan
Recruiting
Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Taipei, Taiwan
Recruiting
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Recruiting
Showing 22 of 22 sites. 22 of the 22 sites on this study are recruiting right now — a site can stop enrolling while the study as a whole is still open.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT07716098. Trialion does not run this study, is not paid to refer anyone to it, and cannot enrol you. Eligibility is always decided by the research team at the site.
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