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Experimental Glutamate Receptor Agonist Has Antipanic Effects Under Experimental Conditions: Presented at ADAA

By Alison Palkhivala

TORONTO, ON -- April 1, 2003 -- An experimental glutamate receptor agonist, LY354740, appears to reduce panic symptoms in patients with panic disorder during an experimental provocation study.

Louise R. Levine, MD, and colleagues from Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, tested their experimental metabotropic glutamate 2/3 (mGlu2/3) receptor agonist for the treatment of panic disorder.

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

In a double-blind, parallel study, 30 patients with panic disorder in whom inhaling 35% CO₂/65% O₂ gas induced a panic attack were randomized to treatment with 200 mg of LY350740 twice a day or a placebo. Patients then inhaled this gas combination a second time, after taking their assigned medication for four weeks.

The investigators measured the number and severity of panic symptoms before and after inhaling the gas, during the peak of the panic attack, using the first 16 items on the Sheenan Patient Rated Anxiety Scale and a visual analog scale.

Overall, 27 of 30 patients completed both gas inhalation provocations. All three patients who elected to discontinue had been randomly assigned to placebo. Among the remaining patients, 67% of those taking the experimental drug compared with only 10% on placebo (P=0.0019) failed to respond to the second gas challenge. A negative response to the challenge was defined as less than 26% change in visual analog scale from baseline.

LY354740 was well tolerated, and none of the patients taking this agent experienced sedation or withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation of drug.


[Study title: The mGlu2/3 Receptor Agonist LY354740 Reduced Panic Anxiety Induced by A CO2 Challenge in Patients Diagnosed with Panic Disorder. Abstract p78]

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