Irene J Higginson, Sarah T Brown, Adejoke O Oluyase, Peter May, Matthew Maddocks, Massimo Costantini, Sabrina Bajwah, Charles Normand, Claudia Bausewein, Steffen T Simon, Karen Ryan, David C Currow, Miriam J Johnson, Simon P Hart, Hannah Mather, Malgorzata Krajnik, Silvia Tanzi, Luca Ghirotto, Charlotte E Bolton, Piotr Janowiak, Elena Turola, Caroline J Jolley, Geraldine Murden, Andrew Wilcock, Bobbie Farsides, Julia M Brown
BACKGROUND: Breathlessness frequently becomes severe among people with respiratory disease. Mirtazapine, a widely used antidepressant, has shown promise in the modulation of respiratory sensation and the response to it, as well as reducing feelings of panic, which often accompanies breathlessness. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of mirtazapine to alleviate severe persisting breathlessness. METHODS: This international, multicentre, phase 3, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial across 16 centres in seven countries (Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, and the UK), recruited adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung diseases, or both, and grade 3 or 4 of the modified Medical Research Council breathlessness scale...
September 6, 2024: Lancet Respiratory Medicine