Menu
Synergy in Action

Late-Onset Depression: A Distinct Indication?

Chairs: Peter de Boer, PhD; Patricia Capaccione, RPh

Current Activity:

Most Recent activity:
Working Group Session – 15th Annual Scientific Meeting – View Summary – 21 February 2019, Washington DC

Spring 2018 – Call for participation in on-going working group. Will convene quarterly to develop White Paper.  To participate, Contact ISCTM
Inaugural Working Group session  14th Annual Scientific Meeting, 20 February 2018, Washington DC
VIEW SLIDE PRESENTATION
Deliverable: White Paper  

Working Group Objectives

Major depressive disorder (MDD), is a serious, recurrent, and disabling psychiatric illness associated with excess mortality and with years of potential life lost. Depression with an onset later in life (a.k.a. late-onset depression), is associated with disability, increased mortality, and poorer outcomes from physical illness. Emerging data suggest that late-onset depression is a distinct entity with a pathophysiology, etiology, trajectory and treatment response different from adult MDD.  The objective of this working group is to explore from a clinical and regulatory perspective these questions/topics:

  • How to identify subjects with late-onset depression.  In addition to age, what distinguishes this population from the general MDD population? Is there a role for biomarkers?
  • How to demarcate the population with late-onset depression from those with vascular cognitive disorders and early-onset depression in older adults. Explore the medical needs for the late-onset depression population.
  • Is there enough evidence of late-onset depression being a distinct entity to support the development of a potential path forward to obtain a regulatory approval in this indication?

Membership

Membership will consist of representatives of different functions from academia, including mood specialists, geriatric specialists, regulatory experts and geriatric psychiatrists, as well as Regulatory Authorities.

Deliverables

A guidance document summarizing the discussions from this meeting and potential next steps.

RETURN TO WORKING GROUP PAGE