Biopeer

Antidepressant medication might increase risk of Parkinson’s disease

The 59th Annual meeting of American Academy of Neurology has reportedly presented a study emphasizing the consumption of anti-depressants and the resulting incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD). The Harvard School of Public Health has apparently noted that Parkinson's disease diagnosed in people who were taking anti-depressants was nearly twice as in those who were not taking anti-depressants. Previous research shows that antidepressants can cause depletion of dopamine, thereby making the victims of depression more vulnerable to PD, and therefore few studies suggest the use of dopaminergic antidepressant.

Study published in the Archives on Internal Medicine claims that depression could lead to type 2 diabetes. Study evaluating nearly 5,000 adults aged 65 or older revealed that those who got the blues were more likely to develop diabetes than those without depressive symptoms. However, the study neglects the factors leading to depression, further remaining silent on the onset of type 2 diabetes. Clinical trials have not until date associated clear link between diabetes and depression, except the inference that elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol,  increases blood glucose levels and causes more fat to collect around the abdominal area.

Findings in the recent issue of ‘Preventive Medicine’ by researchers at the University Of Minnesota School Of Public Health reveal that there is no link between self-weighing and depression in women. Study examined 4,650 women between the ages of 40 and 65 from November 2003 to February 2005. Following the adjustment in BMI levels, the association between self-weighing and depression was inferred to be insignificant. Frequent self-weighing was independently associated with both the absence of depressive symptoms and lower BMI levels.

Powered by Qumana

USFDA clears the way for generic Zoloft

The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has granted approval for the first generic version of the antidepressant Zoloft.

The clearance for Sertraline tablets, generic version of Pfizer’s Zoloft, was granted to Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. The tablets had been made by Ivax Pharmaceuticals, which was recently acquired by Teva. Teva has stated that it was the first company to file an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with a paragraph IV certification for Sertraline. It has been bestowed with a 180-day exclusivity for marketing the tablets. The drug will be sold in 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg tablets. The drug is expected to hit the shelves by the end of July.

Roxane Laboratories received the sanction to manufacture Sertraline in its liquid form, sertraline hydrochloride. Roxane is a unit of the privately held Boehringer Ingelheim.

Generic versions of drugs cut into the profits of the companies manufacturing the patented drugs as they give the same benefits at lower costs. In order to minimize such loss, Pfizer Inc has decided to create its own generic version of Zoloft. The drug will be marketed through its subsidiary Greenstone Ltd. The move is intended to undercut the lower prices offered by generic makers. Analysts believe that such tactics will be disadvantageous to the consumer as generic-drug makers may get disheartened and halt their attempts to formulate cheaper drugs. But the announcement did cause Pfizer’s shares to rise to USD 23.24.

Powered by Qumana

Prozac’s secret disclosed

In a recent study, researchers from an American laboratory claim to have discovered the way in which the anti-depressant drug, Prozac functions on the brain. Prozac has been around for 18 years but this is the first time scientists have been able to explain the working of the drug.

It has been common knowledge that Prozac (fluoxetine) alleviates the symptoms of depression by stimulating the growth of brain cells. But how it does this has never been known until now. Scientists from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory of Long Island conducted a research that enabled them to finally understand the mechanism of the drug.

The examination was carried out on mice specially bred by Grigori Enikolopov and his colleagues. By following the progress of the telltale marker proteins, produced by different kinds of cells in the brains of adult mice, the researchers first defined the discrete steps in neurogenesis that convert unspecialized stem cells into mature neurons. Then they tested each step and found that fluoxetine specifically stimulates the second step in the neurogenesis pathway. It causes the generation of a kind of cells they dubbed "amplifying neural progenitors" or ANPs.

The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Grigori Enikolopov and Juan Manuel Encin led the study. The researchers are currently investigating whether other anti-depression drugs work in the same way as Prozac. They believe that by defining the target of anti-depressant drugs, the study may help in the formulation of new and more effective drugs not only for depression but also for treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Generic drug for depression gets go ahead

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved a generic version of the most widely prescribed oral antidepressant drug, Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate).

Ivax Corp, a Miami-based subsidiary of Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is making the generic version and will be the first company to be approved to make the generic version of the prescription drug. The tablets will be available in three doses of 5, 10 and 20 milligrams. The drug is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a family of drugs that also includes Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft and Paxil.

Lexapro (the brand name) is made by Forest Laboratories, Inc and is the No 2 antidepressant in filled prescriptions in the US, with 29.6 million prescriptions. Teva is currently in patent litigation concerning this product in a US district court. Forest claims that it has a patent protection on Lexapro until 2012, but Teva maintains that this protection is not valid.

The patent litigation has held up the launch of Teva’s drug into the market. Teva and Forest have agreed in January that if Teva did launch the drug prior to the decision in the patent suit, Teva would give Forest a 45 days notice. The litigation issue is expected to close by June/July this year. The generic drug is not likely to impact Lexapro’s sales, considering the market position of the prescription drug.