Eli Lilly submits application for Cymbalta anxiety use

Eli Lilly has announced it has applied to the FDA for the use of Cymbalta on patients with generalised anxiety disorder. It also said that it was conducting phase III trials for use of the drug on fibromyalgia, a debilitating disease which can cause pain throughout the body – although scientists do not understand why this is.

Cymbalta, which contains the active ingredient duloxetine, is currently licensed as a treatment for adults with major depressive disorders and pain from diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Alan Breier, medical vice-president and chief medical officer, said: “More than three million patients worldwide have been treated with Cymbalta since its approval from the FDA for the treatment of major depression and management of diabetic nerve pain.”

“Lilly is committed to fully exploring other unmet patient needs and looks forward to conducting further research with this innovative drug,” he added.

Duloxetine is also used in Yentreve, a drug which counteracts stress-related urinary incontinence in women. The most common reported side-effects of duloxetine are nausea, somnolence and dry mouths.

Anxiety Care, a London-based charity for anxiety sufferers, estimates that general anxiety disorder afflicts approximately five per cent of the population. General anxiety disorder is characterised by chronic worries about personal circumstances and lifestyle. The charity claims that some studies have suggested a genetic influence in families of sufferers.

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