Effectiveness and tolerability of agomelatine (Valdoxan) in the treatment of depression after COVID-19 (TELESFOR study)

Objective. To study the antidepressant efficacy and the tolerability of agomelatine (Valdoxan) in daily clinical practice in patients with a depressive episode that occurred after COVID-19. Material and methods. The final analysis included 103 patients (70.9% women, average age 45 years). Of these, 78.6% have had mild COVID-19 in the last 3 months, and 21.4% have had moderate COVID-19. The average time from the onset of infection to inclusion in the study was 2.1±0.7 months. At the start of the study, 53.4% of patients had a mild depressive episode, and 46.6% had a moderate depressive episode. Clinical and psychopathological, psychometric (HAMD-17, CGI, SF-36), and statistical methods of investigation were used. Results. A significant decrease in the severity of depression was revealed. The average overall score on the HAMD-17 scale decreased compared to baseline by 2.6±3.3, 6.7±5.3, and 10.9±4.9 at weeks 2, 4, and 8 of agomelatin administration, respectively (p<0.0001). Mental and physical indicators on the SF-36 scale also significantly improved compared to baseline (p<0.0001). By the end of the study, 81.4% of patients had responded to therapy, 71.6% had achieved remission according to the criteria es-tablished in the study. It was found that the initial value of the total HAMD-17 score has a statistically significant effect (p<0.0001) on the outcome of depression therapy after COVID-19, an additional contribution is made by the prescription of COVID-19 dis-ease. Agomelatin was well tolerated during the 8 weeks of follow-up. Conclusion. The results indicate a high antidepressant and anxiolytic effectiveness and safety of agomelatine after 8 week of treatment of patients with depression after COVID-19 infection. The results of the study add to the knowledge about the antidepressant effectiveness of agomelatine and suggest that it may become a drug for the treatment of MDE in patients who have suffered COVID-19 infection. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.