A large systematic review and network meta-analysis of the efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressants has concluded that they are more efficacious than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder.1

The review included 522 placebo-controlled and head-to-head trials, including 116,477 adult participants with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder according to standard operationalised diagnostic criteria.1 The primary outcomes were efficacy (response rate measured by the total number of patients who had a reduction of at least 50% of the total score on a standardised observer-rating scale for depression) and acceptability (treatment …