Danish Pharma's Anti-Depressant Delayed Due To Unconvincing Results

Shares in Danish pharmaceutical group H. Lundbeck plummeted Monday after it said it would be up to two years late in submitting a new anti-depressant to US authorities for approval.

The company, which is developing the drug in conjunction with the Japanese firm Takeda, said the delay was due to unconvincing initial results from three clinical studies for the new Lu AA21004 drug.

Depression - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders affecting approximately 340 million people in the world. No one is immune from depression - it occurs in people of all social classes, all countries and all cultural settings.

The medication is being developed to replace the most widely used antidepressant, Celexa/ Lexapro.

Lundbeck shares were down more than 13.5 percent on the Copenhagen exchange at mid-morning.

Company chief Ulf Wiinberg said Lundebck did not yet have plans for further tests and would discuss the matter with Takeda.

Depression Calculator
A quick, simple and anonymous self-assessment health tool to assess the level of depression using the famous Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale.

The company said in a statement that "Lundbeck and Takeda will continue to work with the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies on the clinical development program and submission plans."

Depression affects 121 million people around the world, according to Lundbeck.

Antidepressant Citalopram Useful in Some People
Mayo Clinic scientists say that variations in the serotonin transporter gene may help understand why some people respond better than others to treatment with an antidepressant medication

Source-AFP
SRM

Teen Blues Tackled With Combination Therapy
Teenagers were found to respond better to a combination therapy of antidepressant and psychotherapy.