Efficacy and safety of duloxetine versus sertraline for Chinese depression patients: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of duloxetine and sertraline for Chinese depression patients. Methods The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety of duloxetine and sertraline in the treatment of depression were retrieved from databases and the quality of literature was evaluated. Meta-analysis was performed with the software Revman 5.2. Results Eighteen RCTs involving 1 557 Chinese depression patients were included. The results of Meta-analysis showed that there were no significant differences in efficacy and cure rate between duloxetine and sertraline groups (OR=1.28, 95%CI: 0.94-1.73, P=0.11; OR=1.25, 95%CI: 0.97-1.62, P=0.09, respectively). The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores were significantly lower in duloxetine group than those in sertraline group at 1, 2 weeks after treatment; however, there were no significant differences at 8-weeks after treatment between duloxetine and sertraline groups. The score of Medical Outcomes Study Pain Measures (MOSPM) in duloxetine group was significantly lower than that in sertraline group (P 0.05). Conclusions Duloxetine has similar long term treatment effect as sertraline, but it has a rapid-action profile. Duloxetine is more effective than sertraline in depression with painful physical symptoms; besides, duloxetine is less likely to induce insomnia. Key words: Duloxetine; Sertraline; Depression; Randomized controlled trial; Meta-analysis