Lundbeck announces ‘superiority’ of Cipralex

Lundbeck has announced the publication of a study in the Current Medical Research and Opinion journal reporting that Cipralex (escitalopram) is better than Cymbalta (duloxetine) as an acute treatment for patients with major depressive disorder.

Furthermore, the trial data showed that Cipralex was better tolerated than duloxetine, with a fewer number of patients ceasing treatment when administered with the former compound.

The study found that patients receiving Cipralex saw a greater improvement in their depression symptoms from the first week of treatment, with this superiority maintained until week 16 of the study, while the compound was at least as effective as duloxetine at the 24-week endpoint of the study.

Anders Gersel Pedersen, senior vice-president and head of development at Lundbeck, said: “Cipralex is an effective and well-tolerated drug for the treatment of depression and a wide range of anxiety disorders.

He added that this clinical trial data showed the compound to have a strong profile of safety and efficacy when compared to other antidepressants.

In January 2007, Lundbeck announced that Cipralex had been granted marketing approval from the Swedish Medical Products Agency, the body acting in this case as a representative for the European Union.

This approval followed clinical studies showing use of the compound to result in improvements on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale compared to those receiving a placebo.