Drugdocs | Gepirone

Drug updated on 4/17/2024

Dosage Form	Tablet (oral; 18.2 mg, 36.3 mg, 54.5 mg, 72.6 mg)
Drug Class	Serotonin 5-HT1A receptor selective partial agonists
Ongoing and Completed Studies	ClinicalTrials.gov

Indication

Gepirone (Exxua) is recommended for the management of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults and has been demonstrated to be more effective than placebo treatments according to a systematic review/meta-analysis.
The analysis was based on systematic reviews/meta-analyses.
In the aspect of effectiveness, 5-HT1A agonists like gepirone showed a significant increase in treatment response compared to placebo, with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 6. This finding was based on data from 15 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 2469 participants.
However, augmentation therapy with these medications did not reveal statistically significant effects on response rates when compared with control treatments, as indicated by four augmentation trials comprising 365 participants.
While these medications were favored for reducing discontinuation due to inefficacy, they were linked to a higher discontinuation rate because of side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, insomnia, palpitations, paresthesia, and sweating, which may limit their tolerability.
No specific population types or subgroup considerations beyond the general adult population suffering from MDD were identified in this study; additional research would be necessary to determine how different subgroups might react to or tolerate this medication's treatment.

Document Title	Year	Source
Exxua (gepirone) Prescribing Information.	2023	Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals Inc., Houston, TX

Document Title	Year	Source
Azapirone 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist treatment for major depressive disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis.	2014	Psychological Medicine