Tuesday, May 8, 2012

New Study of Depression Drug - Wall Street Journal - General Psychiatry News

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New Study of Depression Drug
Wall Street Journal
Pfizer said the latest study results—presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association—added to data supporting Pristiq's effectiveness and safety. A study of patients who stopped taking Pristiq abruptly after 24 weeks showed no ...

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Pfizer Inc. PFE +0.31% said its Pristiq extended-release antidepressant showed positive results in a long-term study of adults when compared with a placebo.
In a long-term study, patients who received 50 milligrams a day of Pristiq showed a relapse probability of 14.3% compared with 30.2% for the group taking a placebo at month six.
The drug also showed statistically significant reductions in depression symptoms in an eight-week study of peri- and postmenopausal women, compared with a placebo.
Pfizer and other drug makers have been aiming to expand uses of older drugs as the industry deals with popular drugs coming off patent. Pfizer's blockbuster anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor lost U.S. marketing exclusively in November, leading to weaker corporate results in recent quarters.
Pfizer said the latest study results—presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association—added to data supporting Pristiq's effectiveness and safety.
A study of patients who stopped taking Pristiq abruptly after 24 weeks showed no statistically significant difference in discontinuation symptoms when compared with those who tapered off their use over the course of a week.
Pristiq was approved in the U.S. in 2008 as a treatment for major depressive disorder in adults. The drug also has been approved in some countries outside the U.S., including Mexico, to treat menopausal symptoms. The drug remains on the market for its approved uses.
Pfizer inherited Pristiq with its 2009 acquisition of Wyeth.
A version of this article appeared May 8, 2012, on page D4 in some U.S. editions of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: New Study of Depression Drug.

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