Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Eli Lilly Wins US Approval for New Depression Drug`
Brief Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Eli Lilly & Co. on Wednesday said U.S. regulators have approved its new antidepressant, Cymbalta (duloxetine). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the drug is both safe and effective in treating major depression, the company reported in a statement. Cymbalta is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. In this respect, it is similar to Wyeth's Effexor XR, rather than SSRIs such as Lilly's Prozac..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Atypical Antipsychotics Increasingly Used in Children
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Atypical antipsychotic drugs are increasingly being prescribed for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and affective disorders, investigators report. However, there is little evidence that the benefits of treatment outweigh the risk. Dr. William O. Cooper and associates at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, reviewed medical records of children enrolled between 1996 and 2001 in Tennessee's expanded Medicaid program to identify new users of atypical antipsychotics, such as risperidone and olanzapine. During this period, 6803 children became new users, approximately doubling from 23 per 10,000 in 1996 to 45 per 10,000 in 2001." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].