BREAKTHROUGH NEW DRUG FOR DEPRESSION SUFFERERS

DEPRESSION? A new drug rivals Prozac

Wednesday September 16,2009

By Julia White for Express.co.uk

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DEPRESSION sufferers may have a more effective drug open to them than Prozac, according to new research.

The £30-a-month drug agomelatine (Valdoxan) was found to help 77.7 per cent of people with severe depression compared with 68.8 per cent on Prozac, a study comparing the drugs found.

The research, which is being presented today at the European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology in Istanbul, included patients from the UK.

Previous research has shown that, in the first week of treatment, agomelatine works in twice as many people compared to another antidepressant, venlafaxine (Efexor).

There are also fewer side-effects from agomelatine, which can include weight gain, sexual problems and difficulty sleeping.

The latest study was carried out on 515 patients with an average age of 42, who were followed for eight weeks.

Agomelatine offers a good alternative for the treatment of depression including the severe forms

Authors of study

The authors concluded: “This study demonstrates the superior efficacy of agomelatine over fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating severe depression, with a good tolerability profile, confirming that agomelatine offers a good alternative for the treatment of depression including the severe forms.”

Lead researcher Professor Tony Hale, head of division of psychiatry at the University of Kent, added: “These results, showing better efficacy over Prozac, one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the UK, add to the growing wealth of evidence supporting agomelatine as a new and important alternative for the treatment of depression.

“With its innovative mode of action, rapid response rate and fewer side effects, agomelatine represents a viable new option for people with this common and disabling mental health disorder.”