Antidepressant drug switching in the Swiss population with a focus on Escitalopram and drugs with pharmacogenetic dosing guidelines: a drug utilization study using claims data.

M M Roth, C R Meier, C A Huber, H E Meyer Zu Schwabedissen, S Allemann, C Schneider

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Article in The pharmacogenomics journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

Investigating the Use of Antidepressants in Treating Major Depressive Disorder:Saudi medical journal · 2026
Article

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

M M RothBasel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.

C R MeierBasel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.

C A HuberDepartment of Health Sciences, Helsana Insurance Group, 8001, Zürich, Switzerland.

H E Meyer Zu SchwabedissenBiopharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.

S Allemann *Pharmaceutical Care, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, 4003, Basel, Switzerland. s.allemann@unibas.ch.ORCID 0000-0003-4067-9401

C Schneider *Basel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Depression affects around 10% of the Swiss population. While SSRIs are commonly prescribed, only 30-40% of patients achieve remission. Pharmacogenetic (PGx) factors may explain part of this high rate of SSRI treatment failure. This study examined antidepressant (AD) switching among Swiss patients using escitalopram, focusing on whether they switched to ADs with PGx dosing guidelines (PGx AD) or ADs without PGx dosing guidelines (non-PGx ADs). Data from Swiss health insurance records identified 41 275 patients who used escitalopram between July 2020 and June 2022. While 6.4% (n = 2 638) switched to another antidepressant, only 35.4% of these opted for a PGx AD. Men, younger adults showed higher switching rates, whereas patients on antipsychotic medications switched less. Individuals younger than 20 years old and women were more likely to switch to PGx AD whereas the elderly were less likely to switch to PGx AD.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDepressionDrug SubstitutionEscitalopramAdultAgedDrug UtilizationFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPharmacogeneticsSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsSwitzerlandYoung AdultAntidepressive AgentsEscitalopramSelective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID40781213

DOI10.1038/s41397-025-00382-1

PMCPMC12334355

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