Core evidence outcomes summary for desvenlafaxine in depression

Outcome measure	Evidence	Implications/Comments
Disease-oriented evidence
Significant reduction in depression symptoms (HAMD17)	Substantial	Desvenlafaxine effectively treats depression at 50–100 mg per day.
Discontinuation due to adverse events in the 50 mg group was similar to placebo	Substantial	Desvenlafaxine 50–100 mg per day is safe and well-tolerated.
No serious symptoms associated with discontinuation of 50 mg dose (DESS)	Clear	Desvenlafaxine 50 mg can be discontinued without a taper.
Reduction in various indices of chronic pain (VAS-PI)	Moderate	Desvenlafaxine may be useful in treating chronic pain, however the clinical trials were not designed to measure efficacy for pain.
Patient-oriented evidence
Reduction in disability indices (SDS)	Clear	Desvenlafaxine produced a significant reduction in disability due to depression.
Improvement in psychological well-being indices (WHO-5)	Clear	Desvenlafaxine significantly improved psychological well-being.