TRINTELLIX® (vortioxetine) is indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults.

Patient portrayal. 
Individual results may vary.

MOA

The story of TRINTELLIX

The first and only compound with this combination of pharmacologic activity:

Mechanism of action1

The mechanism of the antidepressant effect of TRINTELLIX is not fully understood, but it is thought to be related to its enhancement of serotonergic activity in the central nervous system through inhibition of the reuptake of serotonin (5-HT). It also has several other activities including 5-HT3 receptor antagonism and 5-HT1A receptor agonism. The contribution of these activities to the antidepressant effect of TRINTELLIX has not been established.

Pharmacodynamics1

TRINTELLIX strongly inhibits SERT and has strong affinities for 5 other serotonin receptors.* The clinical relevance of these activities is unknown.

TRINTELLIX (vortioxetine) Mechanism of Action (MOA)

*TRINTELLIX binds with high affinity to the human serotonin transporter (Ki=1.6 nM), but not to the norepinephrine (Ki=113 nM) or dopamine (Ki>1000 nM) transporters.1 TRINTELLIX potently and selectively inhibits reuptake of serotonin (IC50=5.4 nM). TRINTELLIX binds to 5‑HT3 (Ki=3.7 nM), 5-HT1A (Ki=15 nM), 5-HT7 (Ki=19 nM), 5‑HT1D (Ki=54 nM), and 5-HT1B (Ki=33 nM) receptors, and is a 5-HT3, 5-HT1D, and 5-HT7 receptor antagonist, 5-HT1B receptor partial agonist, and 5-HT1A receptor agonist.

Abbreviations: SERT, serotonin transporter.

Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH, Headshot

Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York

"No other MDD medication is thought to work exactly like TRINTELLIX.

TRINTELLIX is the first and only compound with this combination of pharmacologic activity. The mechanism of the antidepressant effect of TRINTELLIX is not fully understood, but it is thought to be related to its enhancement of serotonergic activity in the central nervous system through inhibition of the reuptake of serotonin (5‑HT). It also has several other activities including 5‑HT3 receptor antagonism and 5‑HT1A receptor agonism. The contribution of these activities to the antidepressant effect of TRINTELLIX has not been established.1"

Dr. Citrome is clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, clinical professor of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, New York. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology where he currently serves as Immediate Past‑President. In addition to his academic positions, he has a private practice in psychiatry in Pomona, New York and is a volunteer consultant to the Assertive Community Treatment team/Mental Health Association of Rockland County. In 2019 he received the New York Medical College Faculty Author Award for “First Authorship Who Published in the Most Open Access Journals (Web of Science),” and in 2018, 2021, and 2023 was recognized as the Voluntary Faculty Teacher of the Year, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, New York Medical College/Westchester Medical Center.

Dr. Citrome obtained his MD degree from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in 1983 and his MPH degree from the Columbia School of Public Health in 1996. His immediate prior position was as the founding Director of the Clinical Research and Evaluation Facility at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York, where he worked from 1994 through 2010 and achieved the rank of Professor of Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.

Dr. Citrome is currently a consultant in clinical trial design and interpretation. He is a frequent lecturer on the quantitative assessment of clinical trial results, including the metrics of number needed to treat and number needed to harm, and has lectured throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australasia. His main interests include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. He is author or coauthor of over 600 research reports, reviews, and chapters in the scientific literature. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Association of Medical Editors. Dr. Citrome is editor‑in‑chief of Current Medical Research and Opinion (CMRO) published by Taylor & Francis, editor emeritus, International Journal of Clinical Practice where he was editor-in-chief 2013-2019; psychiatry topic editor for Clinical Therapeutics; editor for the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology Corner in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry; section editor for psychopharmacology for Current Psychiatry; and also serves as an editorial board member for CNS Spectrums, Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, Neurology and Therapy, Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, Current Drug Safety, Schizophrenia Research and Treatment, Postgraduate Medicine, Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Clinical Practice, and Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health.

Dr. Citrome was paid as a consultant for Takeda and Lundbeck.

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  11. Data on file. Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
  12. Data on file. Lundbeck.
  13. FDA updates Trintellix® (vortioxetine) label to include data showing improvement in processing speed, an important aspect of cognitive function in acute Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). News release. GlobeNewswire. May 2, 2018.
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