In brief
- An analysis of clinical records from over 10,000 people compares intravenous ketamine with intranasal esketamine for treatment-resistant depression.
- IV ketamine was associated with a 34% remission rate compared to 26% for esketamine, and a 63% response rate compared to 58%.
- NRx describes a peer-reviewed poster; this is not a randomized trial. This review read the release, not the poster or a complete paper.
A June 5 NRx Pharmaceuticals release reported an ASCP presentation by Osmind and Yale researchers on records of ketamine infusions versus intranasal esketamine. The announcement reports more remissions associated with IV treatment; this review did not verify that it was the largest existing analysis or the exact presentation date.
Clinical records instead of a classic trial
According to the release, records covered 8,224 people treated with IV ketamine and 1,830 with intranasal esketamine in a network of about 800 community clinics. The matched analysis included 3,560 people, a subset distinct from the initial 10,054 records. Treatment was not randomly assigned. Outcomes used PHQ-9; matching observed characteristics does not eliminate unmeasured factors.
The figures presented
NRx reports remission of 34% versus 26% (OR 1.51; p<0.001) and response of 63% versus 58% (OR 1.22; p<0.003), respectively for IV ketamine and intranasal esketamine. These are release-attributed figures, not checked here against the poster or individual data. Odds ratios are not relative risks and do not establish that changing route causes those differences.
What this implies
The source read was NRx’s release, from a company with a commercial interest in IV ketamine. It describes a peer-reviewed poster; that is not the same as reviewing a journal article, and neither the poster itself nor the presence or absence of later publications was verified here. Nonrandom assignment permits unmeasured group differences: the release does not show that visit duration, costs or insurance explain the association. As related reading, we retain a link to a much smaller study from a single clinic in Ohio that found no differences between the two routes, without treating it as verification of why two studies might differ. Observational results alone do not support recommending one route as superior for an individual.
Source
- NRx Pharmaceuticals. NRx Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:NRXP) notes presentation by Osmind, Inc. of IV Ketamine Efficacy vs. Nasal esketamine Efficacy at American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology. GlobeNewswire, June 5, 2026.
Educational content written from a harm reduction perspective and with respect for individual freedom. It is not a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional and is not intended to encourage or condemn any drug use.
