Heptapeptide Selank approved for the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Studies revealed that Selank acts as an anxiolytic with stimulatory and cognitive enhancing properties. Though time to treatment response significantly varied in patients and this issue has not been studied.

Individual treatment response analysis in Selank-treated patients with GAD.

To compare clinical state and EEG changes in patients with different time to treatment response to Selank.

20 patients aged 24–52 y.o. with GAD according to DSM-IV were included. Selank was administered at the dose 2700 μg/day intranasally. Study utilized valid clinical scales and pharmaco-EEG.

40% of patients were rapid responders (RR) and characterized by abrupt reduction of whole set of symptoms in first 1–3 Days. At the Day 3 Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) mean total score [SD] reduced from 20.3[11.9] to 7.0[2.9] (p < 0.01). 60% of patients responded gradually (conventional responders - CR). Clinically significant changes of mean HARS total score from 16.1[7.2] to 6.2[4.7] were achieved at Day 14, p < 0.01. In contrast to CR, RR demonstrated obvious EEG-reaction after single dose (900 μg) with increase of beta-rhythm, decrease of theta- and low frequencies of alpha-rhythm (all p < 0.05). Initially RR and CR significantly differed by the score of asthenic and cognitive symptoms (p < 0.05).

Data that peptide anxiolytic drug Selank in patients with GAD exert significant individual variability of therapeutic effect, including rapid effectiveness, confirmed. RR had more asthenic and cognitive symptoms and characterized by a higher EEG-reactivity than CR.