Current And Emerging Drugs Continue To Struggle For Patient Share In The Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder

Decision Resources, one of the
world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and
healthcare issues, finds that a drug's long-term efficacy in preventing
recurrence of depressive mood episodes in patients who suffer from major
depressive disorder, is the attribute that most influences psychiatrists'
prescribing decisions in the treatment of this disorder. Clinical data and
expert opinion show that current and emerging therapies will continue to
struggle for patient share through subtle differences in efficacy,
tolerability and delivery.



The new report entitled Major Depressive Disorder: Long-Term Efficacy
Would Differentiate a New Drug in the Crowded Antidepressant Market finds
that if an agent preventing recurrence of depressive mood episodes superior
to that of sales-leading Wyeth's Effexor XR were to be launched, it would
earn a 25 percent patient share, according to surveyed psychiatrists. The
report also finds that although Effexor XR is the sales leader in the major
depressive disorder drug market, the current and future Decision Resources
proprietary clinical gold standard treatment for the indication is
escitalopram (Lundbeck's Cipralex/Seroplex; Forest's Lexapro).



Although escitalopram's efficacy is not the highest in our study, the
drug outscored any other current therapy in the area of safety. Experts we
interviewed explain that because the drug is an active metabolite, lower
doses can be used, an advantage that results in safety benefits.



"Based on available data and expert opinion, we do not expect any
therapy under development to displace escitalopram as the clinical gold
standard for major depressive disorder," said Carlos Dedesma, Ph.D.,
analyst at Decision Resources. "Although some therapies in development hold
promise, most of them earned inferior scores in efficacy, safety and
tolerability, and/or delivery features when compared with escitalopram."



About the Report



Major Depressive Disorder: Long-Term Efficacy Would Differentiate a New
Drug in the Crowded Antidepressant Market is a DecisionBase 2008 report
from Decision Resources. DecisionBase 2008 combines market forecasts with
clinical and commercial end points to assess market share projections in 35
indications. These outputs are driven by quantitative and qualitative
primary research. DecisionBase 2008 provides detailed market share, patient
share, and price-per-day projections for emerging drugs in development. The
market share projections are based on prescriber surveys that compare
physicians' expectations of a potential target product profile with an
emerging product profile of the leading drugs in development.




About Decision Resources



Decision Resources (decisionresources ) is a world leader
in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed
to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen
markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.



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View drug information on Effexor; Lexapro.