Forest Laboratories depression drug ‘better tolerated’

Forest Laboratories, a partner of Lundbeck, has announced the results of a new study showing that Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) is better tolerated than Eli Lilly’s Cymbalta (duloxetine), based on the rate of discontinuation by patients due to side effects.

Research showed that 87 per cent of patients in the Lexapro group finished a full eight weeks of treatment, compared to 69 per cent in the group administered with Cymbalta. Additionally, two per cent of those taking Lexapro discontinued use of the treatment due to adverse effects, compared with 13 per cent of patients taking Cymbalta.

The compound also demonstrated a greater reduction in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores using a last observation carried forward approach for patients with moderate to severe cases of major depressive disorder.

Dr Arif Kahn, medical director of Northwest Clinical Research Centrer, said: “These findings add to a number of studies that demonstrate the clinical value of Lexapro in the treatment of depression.”

In October 2005, Forest Laboratories and Lundbeck announced that they had entered into a settlement agreement with Merck KGaA subsidiary Alphapharm concerning a patent infringement dispute relating to Lexapro.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alphapharm acknowledged the Lexapro patent and Forest Laboratories and Lundbeck appointed Alphapharm as the exclusive distributor of generic forms of the compound.