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Pregabalin Works in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Despite Comorbid Depression: Presented at ADAA

By Alison Palkhivala

TORONTO, ON -- April 1, 2003 -- Pregabalin reduces anxiety levels in patients with generalized anxiety disorder regardless of their level of depression.

In fact, among patients with depression and generalized anxiety disorder, pregabalin also helps relieve symptoms of depression, according to an analysis of five double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.

The results of the analysis were presented here in a poster on March 29^th at the 23^rd Annual Conference of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

Mark H. Pollack, MD, from the Anxiety Disorders Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues combined data from five studies on the use of various doses of pregabalin in generalized anxiety disorder.

They assessed improvement in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (Ham-A) in two groups of patients: those with Hamilton Depression Scale (Ham-D) scores under 15 and those with Ham-D scores of 15 or higher.

Among the five studies included in the analysis, 78 patients took pregabalin 200 mg/day, 91 took 300 mg/day, 364 took 400/450 mg/day and 335 took 600 mg/day. Overall, 414 patients took a placebo.

After completing therapy, Ham-A scores were significantly improved compared with placebo in patients taking pregabalin, regardless of dose (P<0.05). This effect was seen to a similar degree in both the high and low depression groups. Typically, the drop in Ham-A scores among patients treated with pregabalin, regardless of dose or depression status, was about 12 to 15 points.

Ham-D scores also diminished significantly, compared with placebo, in patients taking pregabalin (P<0.01).

Pregabalin, according to the authors, "shows significant anxiolytic efficacy regardless of the presence of moderately severe comorbid depressive symptomatology. Similarly, [pregabalin] appears to improve depressive symptoms."

Pfizer, Inc., manufacturers of pregabalin, funded this study.


[Study title: Pregabalin in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Influence of Subsyndromic Depression. Abstract p82.]

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