Lundbeck’s psychiatric drug found effective against depression

Patients taking escitalopram demonstrated significantly greater improvement in depression symptoms (as measured by the MADRS scale) at weeks 1,2, 4 and 8 with the mean treatment difference at week 8 being 2.6 points (p<0.01) on the MADRS scale. Escitalopram-treated patients with severe depression demonstrated an even more significant improvement in depression symptoms compared to duloxetine, with the mean treatment difference at week 8 being 3.7 points (p<0.01) on the MADRS scale. Approximately 54.3% of escitalopram-treated patients achieved remission compared to 44.4% of duloxetine-treated patients. Withdrawal due to adverse events was significantly less in the escitalopram-treated group, 4.6% for escitalopram versus 12.7% for duloxetine. Alan Wade, study investigator and medical director of CPS Research, Glasgow, Scotland, said: "This study adds to the growing evidence for the superiority of escitalopram over SNRI antidepressants, but this is only part of the story. Looking at real-life measures such as improvement in disability and patient functioning allows us to better assess the impact of treatment on patients in the real-life setting."