PReDicT · Project

Test That Tells in 1 Week If Your Antidepressant Is Working

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When someone starts taking antidepressants, doctors currently have to wait 4 to 6 weeks just to find out if the medication is actually helping — and most of the time, the first one prescribed doesn't work. Imagine waiting months in a fog while your doctor keeps guessing. This project built a digital test that can tell within just 1 week whether the treatment is working, so doctors can switch faster and patients get better sooner. It works by measuring subtle changes in how patients process emotions — changes that happen long before anyone "feels" better.

By the numbers

350 million

people affected by depression worldwide

11%

of EU citizens suffer from depression at some point

4-6 weeks

current wait time to detect if antidepressant works

1 week

time for PReDicT Test to identify treatment response

€92 billion

aggregated economic cost of depression in the EU

of total European GDP spent on depression

more than 10%

potential reduction in healthcare and economic costs

total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Depression treatment today is a guessing game that takes months. Doctors prescribe an antidepressant, wait 4-6 weeks, and if it doesn't work, they try another — while patients remain unable to work and function. This costs the EU €92 billion annually and leaves millions of people stuck in ineffective treatment cycles.

The solution

What was built

P1vital developed the PReDicT Test, a digital eHealth medical device that detects within 1 week whether an antidepressant is working by measuring changes in emotional processing. The project delivered clinical validation studies across multiple health centres, a health economic analysis, finalized study protocols, ethics approvals, and an interim analysis report — bringing the product to market-launch readiness.

Audience

Who needs this

Psychiatric clinics and mental health service providers seeking faster treatment optimizationHealth insurers looking to reduce the cost of prolonged depression treatmentOccupational health services at large employers dealing with depression-related absenteeismPharmaceutical companies developing antidepressants who need early efficacy signals in trialsNational health services managing depression treatment pathways at population scale

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare / Mental Health Services

any

Target: Psychiatric clinics and mental health service providers

If you are a mental health clinic dealing with long trial-and-error cycles when prescribing antidepressants — this project developed the P1vital PReDicT Test, a digital medical device that identifies within 1 week whether a treatment is working, compared to the usual 4-6 weeks. This means fewer wasted appointments, faster patient recovery, and reduced burden on your clinical staff. Depression affects 11% of EU citizens at some point in their lives, making this a massive addressable market.

Health Insurance / Managed Care

enterprise

Target: Health insurers and employee benefits providers

If you are a health insurer dealing with the enormous cost burden of depression treatment — this project validated a test that can cut the time to find an effective antidepressant from months to weeks. The aggregated economic cost of depression in the EU is €92 billion. The PReDicT Test has the potential to reduce these healthcare and economic costs by more than 10%, meaning fewer sick days paid out and lower treatment expenses per patient.

Corporate Wellness / Occupational Health

enterprise

Target: Large employers and occupational health providers

If you are an employer or occupational health service dealing with long-term absenteeism due to depression — this project created a tool that helps employees return to work faster by identifying effective treatment within 1 week instead of months. Depression costs the EU €92 billion annually, amounting to 1% of total European GDP, and much of that falls on employers through lost productivity. Faster treatment means employees return to good mental health sooner.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the PReDicT Test actually cost to use?

The project data does not include pricing information. The test was in pre-commercial development during this project. Pricing would need to be discussed directly with P1vital Limited, the UK-based SME that developed it.

Can this be deployed at scale across hospital networks?

The project was specifically designed for clinical practice deployment. Study agreements were executed with multiple health centres, and ethics approvals were obtained for clinical validation. The test is digital (eHealth-based), which makes scaling across healthcare networks technically straightforward once regulatory clearance is secured.

Who owns the IP and how can we license it?

P1vital Limited coordinated and led the project with a 100% industry consortium of 2 SME partners. The underlying technology is the P1vital PReDicT Test (formerly the eH-ETB). Licensing discussions would go through P1vital Limited in the UK.

Is this a finished product or still in research?

The project objective explicitly states that on completion the test would be ready for market launch. The project ran clinical validation studies, health economic analysis, and pre-commercial development. This was funded under the SME Instrument Phase 2, which specifically supports close-to-market innovation.

How does it integrate with existing clinical workflows?

The PReDicT Test is an eHealth digital tool — it measures emotional processing changes in patients within the first week of treatment. Based on available project data, it is designed as a medical device for use in standard clinical practice, meaning it supplements rather than replaces existing prescribing workflows.

What evidence supports the claimed 10% cost reduction?

The project objective states the test has the potential to reduce healthcare and economic costs by more than 10%, against the EU depression cost of €92 billion. This claim was being validated through the clinical and health economic research conducted during the project. The interim analysis report from Part A of the study would contain supporting evidence.

Is this approved as a medical device?

The project focused on completing pre-commercial development and clinical validation to prepare for market launch. Country-specific ethics approvals were obtained and study protocols were finalized. Based on available project data, final regulatory approval status after project end (November 2019) would need to be confirmed with P1vital.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a lean, commercially focused consortium: just 2 SME partners, both from the UK, both from industry — zero universities or research institutes. That's unusual and telling. It means this was not a research exploration but a product push. P1vital Limited, the coordinator, is a private research company specializing in CNS drug development tools. The 100% industry ratio and SME Instrument Phase 2 funding confirm this was close-to-market work. For a business buyer, this means the technology was developed with commercial intent from day one, not adapted from an academic lab.

P1VITAL LIMITEDCoordinator · UK
P1VITAL PRODUCTS LIMITEDthirdparty · UK

How to reach the team

P1vital Limited (UK) — contact via their website p1vital.com or through SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction

Order a report on this consortium See P1VITAL LIMITED profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how the PReDicT Test could reduce depression treatment costs in your organization? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the development team and provide a tailored briefing for your sector.

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