OBJECTIVES: Selective Serotonin (Norepinephrine) Reuptake Inhibitors (SS(N)RI) are widely used in the treatment of depressions. The aim of this study was to investigate the persistence of SS(N)RI) in outpatients treated by general practitioners (GPs) and by neurologists/psychiatrists (NPs) in Germany.

METHODS: The longitudinal pharmacy database (IMS LRx^®) was used to identify patients (>18 years old) who received an initial prescription (Rx) of SS(N)RI between January 2014 and December 2016 (index date) from a GP or a NP. Patients were only included if they had one year of pre-index observation available. The primary outcome was the rate of patients without SS(N)RI treatment discontinuation in the 12 months following the index date. Persistence was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox regression was used to determine the impact of age, gender, doctor specialty and initial substance on persistence.

RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the proportion of patients with therapy discontinuation within first six months was very high. Discontinuation was associated with age and initial drug.