Drug interactions with vortioxetine, a new multimodal antidepressant

This article summarized the available knowledge on clinically relevant drug interactions of vortioxetine, a new antidepressant with a “multimodal” serotonergic mechanism of action, recently approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Although information is still limited and mainly based on studies performed in healthy volunteers, vortioxetine appears to have a favorable drug interaction profile. Concerning the potential for pharmacokinetic drug interactions, vortioxetine has little to no effect on various cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms and therefore is not expected to markedly affect plasma concentrations of other medications metabolized by these enzymes. This is a major advantage when compared to other antidepressants which are known to inhibit the activity of one or more CYP isoforms. On the other hand, dosage adjustments may be required when vortioxetine is coadministered with strong CYP2D6 inhibitors or broad-spectrum CYP inducers. Vortioxetine carries a relatively low risk for pharmacodynamic drug interactions, at least as compared to first-generation antidepressants. Like other antidepressants enhancing serotonergic activity, vortioxetine is associated with a potential risk of serotonin syndrome when used in combination with other serotonergic agents. Based on all available clinical data, vortioxetine has no increased risk of serotonin syndrome when used without other serotoninergic agents and at therapeutic doses.