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Effectiveness of Venlafaxine (Effexor XR) in the Treatment of Depression is Independent of Sex and Age: Presented at CPA

By Steve Pridgeon

VANCOUVER, CANADA -- November 10, 2005 -- The efficacy of venlafaxine (Effexor XR) is consistent across age and sex subgroups, according to a meta-analysis presented here November 4^th at the 55^th annual conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA).

Research has shown that the incidence of depression may be twice as high in females as in males, and that age and menopausal status may also affect the occurrence of this condition. Some studies have also shown age- and sex-related treatment responses, while others have shown no evidence of this.

Lee Cohen MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Program, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether response to treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) is also affected by age and/or sex.

Dr. Cohen's team analyzed 8-week data from 31 randomized, double-blind, active-drug controlled studies (nine of these were also placebo-controlled). The studies all compared venlafaxine XR, an extended release SNRI, with an SSRI. A total of 7603 patients were included in the study.

The primary outcome measure was remission, defined as a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D17) score 7 or less at endpoint.

Remission rates at 8 weeks among venlafaxine XR-treated patients were very similar: 41% for women and 40% for men (P < .0001 compared to placebo). Data for women 40 years old and younger and those aged older than 55 years also gave similar results, at 42% and 41%, respectively.

Remission rates were significantly higher in all subgroups treated with venlafaxine XR compared to those treated with SSRIs. However, younger women responded better to SSRIs than did those in the older group, whose response was not significantly higher than that for placebo.

Dr. Cohen concluded that patients with major depressive disorder experience a robust response to venlafaxine XR, regardless of age, sex or menopausal status, and have higher remission rates than with either placebo or SSRIs.


[Presentation title: Responses by Age and Gender to Treatment with Venlafaxine and Selected SSRIs. Abstract P-16]

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