GLG News by SSRI Prescribers (US)

Helping regenerate or preventing death of dopaminergic neurons in the motor system is novel and exciting.  That is the strategy described in the accomapanying clinical trial of insertion of a nerve growth factor gene into the putamen of patients with Parkinson’s disease—a region of the brain affected...

Here we go again; look at all metabolites of a successful drug for efficacy to increase your bang for the corporate buck.  Brilliant--because success is virtually assured at relatively little cost.  Venlafaxine is a reasonably good antidepressant, and in my experience, useful except in...

At this stage there is a paucity of antidepressants that are approved in adolescent depression, even though antidepressants were perhaps excessively used until the recent concern over their increasing suicide risk.  So it is a very good strategy to extend patent somewhat by cornering the adolescent...

The push for FDA approval of Lexapro into the adolescent depression market could significantly impact sales of this already successful medication.

An FDA draft proposal regarding off-label drug promotion, if approved and implemented, could be a boon to both pharmaceutical companies and physicians...and ultimately to patients as well.

PRISTIQ, the single isomer form of Effexor, has performed well in a Phase III study, done in response to an FDA approvable letter earlier this year.  When launched it will change the balance of antidepressants prescribed for major depressive disorder.  

Nerve growth factor has some connection to Alzheimer's but the mechanism is not clear.  In Alzheimer's, nerve growth factor is actually increased in the brain, EXCEPT, in the nucleus basalis, and this may be crucial.  Will this delivery system get it there?  And then, will it work?

The announcement of positive results for PRISTIQ (desvenlafaxine succinate) for the treatment of Major Depression is good news for Wyeth.  PRISTIQ takes over where EFFEXOR left off in the Wyeth CNS portfolio.  Studies for the treatment of post-menopausal symptoms are ongoing, and there...

Agomelatine (Valdoxan; Servier with rights in Europe and Novartis in the US) is a mixed melatonin (MT1 and MT2) agonist and serotonin 5-HT2c antagonist in development as a treatment for major depression and generalized anxiety disorder.  Its melatonergic properties make it unique among antidepressant...

If this study leads to FDA approval of Lexapro for use in adolescents it should lead to an increase in its use overall, by psychiatrists and by primary care physicians, including pediatricians.