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CNN Live Today

FDA Approves New Antidepressant Drug

Aired August 15, 2002 - 13:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On the medical front, there is possible new hope for almost 19 million Americans who experience some form of depression. Many people who take antidepressants experience side effects that can harm their quality of life.
Our medical correspondent, Rea Blakey, tells us about a promising new option, which, Rea, am I correct in venturing out to say it's more powerful and even more effective?

REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It possible that that is the case, yes, Fredricka.

Just approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it's not the first, but Lexapro could become one of the easiest antidepressants in a certain group of drugs for people to tolerate. Now, those drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, and they work by preserving more of the brain chemical, serotonin. Now, Lexapro, which should be on the market early next month, joins Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox and Celexa.

Now, researchers who have worked with this newly-approved SSRI say it's very similar to Celexa, but possibly more powerful, fasting- acting and with fewer adverse side effects. It's estimated nearly 19 million American adults suffer from a depressive illness of some sort, and many of the medications used to treat depression have side effects like gastrointestinal distress, headache and disruption in sexual function.

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DR. PHILIP NINAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: It's not that it doesn't have any side effects, it's just that the likelihood of those side effects is lower, and many of those side effects, when people have them, seem to be less intense. And so, you have a greater chance to stay on the medicine to see whether the medicine would give you the benefit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKEY: Traditionally, 10 percent of patients taking SSRIs will stop taking their medication because of the side effects. The scientists say with Lexapro, it seems that roughly 5 percent have reactions that stop them from taking the drug, so that's a reduction of 50 percent.

That drug, by the way, Fredricka, is made by Forest Laboratories. Again, it should be on the market early next month. WHITFIELD: And, Rea, you and the doctor just said that there are lower side effects, but what kind of side effects are we talking about, still some type of headaches or other symptoms?

BLAKEY: It would still potentially be similar to the side effects in the groups among that class, the drugs among that class, which would include the possibility of side -- I'm sorry -- headaches, of sexual dysfunction, possibly of some kind of gastrointestinal distress. People respond differently to medications.

And again, what we know of in regards to the studies that have been done to get a drug approved, oftentimes things change once the drug is out on the market. So again, "possibly" is the key word to all of this, but the idea is hopefully it would help people tolerate the drug better and, of course, treat their depression.

WHITFIELD: All right, good news. Thanks very much, Rea Blakey, appreciate it.

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