Cymbalta gets Mixed Reception

Eli Lilly's antidepressant Cymbalta is a versitile medication approved to treat depression and certain types of pain. The company hopes that it has found a money-maker, since It's flagship antidepressant Prozac is now available in a cheaper generic version. Cymbalta (duloxetine) is one of a new class of antidepressants that targets both serotonin and norepinephrine. Cymbalta was also the first antidepressant to hit the market since the FDA began studying whether antidepressants can increase the risk of suicide, particularly when used by adolescents.

In February 2004 a college student taking part in a study of Cymbalta hanged herself in a company research facility. Lilly assures us that there's no evidence that Cymbalta was to blame. FDA studies seem to support this. The research reportedly found that there were no difference in the rate between users of the drug and those given a placebo. Since depressed people sometimes do attempt suicide, it's not always the drug's fault.

Cymbalta's label does include the same warning that is on other antidepressants. Doctors and families are advised to closely watch patients for warning signs of suicide - including agitation, anxiety or hostility - especially when they first start the medication or the dose is changed.

Other facts:

• The FDA approved Cymbalta to treat major depression for up to nine weeks.
• In one study Cymbalta users were almost three times as likely to achieve relief of depression as patients given a placebo.
• Cymbalta is approved to treat the pain from diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
• Cymbalta's wholesale price started at almost $3.00 a day, similar to other new antidepressants.
• Cymbalta may also be marketed as a treatment for stress urinary incontinence.

Keep Reading - Cymbalta for the Treatment of Depression and Pain.

Revised 5/12/06

Sources: National Library of Medicine, Lily Press materials, News reports, personal communication with Lilly drug representative