Baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels may be informative to guide treatment selection and improve clinical outcomes for outpatients being treated for depression, according to a study published in the April issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology. In this trial, CRP was the only inflammatory biomarker to predict clinically meaningful treatment outcomes. Traditionally, antidepressant selection has been based on subjective factors such as cost or patients and/or provider preferences. This trial- and-error approach often requires multiple attempts to achieve adequate symptom control. The present study involved secondary data analysis of a subset of participants in the Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcomes trial. Participants had been randomly assigned to either SSRI monotherapy (n = 51) or bupropion-SSRI combination (n = 55). A predefined CRP threshold of 1 mg/L was used to assess baseline plasma samples. In addition to CRP, serum amyloid P component, and alpha-2-macroglobulin were measured using the Bioplex Pro human- acute-phase 4-plex panel. Depression severity and side effects were the treatment outcomes evaluated weekly or every other week over the 12-week acute phase. The researchers found that at baseline 37 of 51 participants in the SSRI monotherapy treatment arm had CRP level 1 mg/L or greater, as did 37 of 55 participants […]