New Antidepressants as Effective as Older Ones, Easier to Use
Bloomberg News
Mar 19 1999 1:26PM ET
New Antidepressants as Effective as Older Ones, Easier to Use
Washington, March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Newer categories of antidepressants -- like Eli Lilly & Co.'s Prozac and Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft -- are as effective as older drugs and are usually easier to take, say U.S. government researchers.
The report, commission by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and complied by the San Antonio Evidence-Based Practice Center, examined the results of hundreds of clinical studies in one so-called meta-analysis.
The study concluded newer drugs, the so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, weren't more effective than older tricyclic antidepressants. Still, patients are more likely to continue to take the newer drugs because they induce less severe side effects, researchers said.
''If you're looking to value to the patient, I think you have to take (side effects) into consideration,'' said Madhukar Trivedi of University of Texas Southwest Medical Center at Dallas, one of the researchers on the study.
The report, Trivedi said, was designed to emphasize that doctors had a range of options in the treatment of depression.
The report's suggestion that ''both newer and older antidepressants should be considered in making treatment decisions,'' doesn't mean the two classes of drugs are equal, said Ira Loss, an analyst who covers the pharmaceutical industry for HSC Washington Analysis.
''Anyone who thinks that the new antidepressants are no better than the old antidepressants has never dealt with someone who's been on antidepressants,'' he said.
Patients who take newer antidepressants may suffer side effects like diarrhea and nausea, while the older class of the drug can produce weight gain, constipation or dizziness.
Though both classes of drugs have side effects, those taking the newer drugs are far less likely to stop treatment because of those side effects, Trivedi said.
The report also evaluated data on the effectiveness of three herbal remedies for depression: St. John's wort, kava kava and valeriana.
According to the report, kava kava and valeriana weren't more effective than a placebo in treating depression.
Citing studies in Germany, researchers said there was some evidence that St. John's wort may show promise in treating mild to moderate depression.
Because the use and composition of St. John's wort varies from place to place, the limited number of trials using the remedy and the bias toward St. John's wort evident in those studies, researchers said it was difficult to conclusively evaluate the drug.
A National Institute of Mental Health study is underway to further assess the safety and effectiveness of St. John's wort. |
