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Cipralex (Escitalopram) Appears to be at Least as Effective, Faster Acting and Better Tolerated Than is Venlafaxine in Treating Major Depressive Disorder: Presented at ECNP

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN -- October 11, 2004 -- Cipralex® / Lexapro® (escitalopram) is at least as effective and better tolerated in the treatment of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), according to a review of two comparative studies presented today at the ECNP (European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) in Stockholm. Furthermore, escitalopram achieves sustained remission one week faster than venlafaxine XR and in severe MDD, escitalopram (20mg) showed significantly superior efficacy compared to venlafaxine (225mg).

"These results are important because they show we have a treatment at our disposal which is effective without sacrificing the good side-effect profile obviously preferred by patients," commented study author Professor Stuart A. Montgomery, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom. "The ideal combination for any first line treatment is good efficacy and good tolerability - this study shows that escitalopram has all the potency of the non selective SNRIs combined with the good tolerability of the conventional SSRIs," he concluded.

The two eight-week, randomised, double blind studies, which were conducted across eight European countries and the United States respectively, compared the efficacy and tolerability of escitalopram to that of venlafaxine XR.

The studies encompass dosages covering both primary and secondary care treatment settings (escitalopram 10-20mg/day and venlafaxine XR 75-150mg/day for the European study and escitalopram 20mg/day and venlafaxine XR 225mg/day for the U.S. study).

Both studies showed that escitalopram was at least as efficacious as venlafaxine XR, which is perceived as a very effective antidepressant. In addition, escitalopram was consistently better tolerated.

Importantly, the study in primary care showed that patients treated with escitalopram achieved sustained remission on average one week earlier than the venlafaxine treated patients. Furthermore, in the secondary care study, escitalopram (20mg) showed significantly superior efficacy compared to venlafaxine (225mg) among the patients who were severely ill at study entry.

Major depressive disorder is a serious and widespread medical disorder that affects millions of people each year. The global burden of depression has increased by nearly 20 per cent in ten years (British Journal of Psychiatry, May 2004).


SOURCE: Lundbeck

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