Eli Lilly wins US approval for new depression drug

	Tweet

Eli Lilly & Co. on Wednesday said U.S. regulators have approved its new antidepressant, Cymbalta, a drug that analysts say will be central to the company’s growth.

Lilly’s shares rose 2 percent to $64.50 in electronic pre-market trading.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the highly anticipated drug is both safe and effective in treating major depression, the company reported in a statement.

Industry analysts expect Cymbalta (duloxetine) to generate peak annual sales of $2 billion, a much-needed boon for Lilly after sales of its former top-selling antidepressant, Prozac, plummeted in the face of generic competition.

Cymbalta works by maximizing the presence in the brain of two chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine. In this respect, it is similar to Wyeth’s Effexor XR. Drugs like Prozac, Pfizer Inc.’s Zoloft and GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Paxil maximize the presence only of serotonin.

Cymbalta comes to the market at a time of growing uncertainty about new classes of antidepressants. Cymbalta came under scrutiny in February following the suicide of a 19-year-old college student involved in one of the company’s clinical trials. She was not depressed at the beginning of the trial.

RELATED STORIES:
Texas study finds couple of drinks can help memory   Youth antidepressant use down due to risks: Medco   Depression and Comorbid Cardiovascular Disease   Prozac plus counseling best for depressed teens   Possible Side Effects of EFFEXOR XR   Depression ups risk of ‘metabolic syndrome’   Depression interferes with exercise stress testing   Stress hormone, depression trigger obesity in girls   Depression Increases Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease   Clinical Depression And African Americans   Some teens more prone to depression from bullying   Depression, pain may accompany chronic Lyme disease

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]