Posted by pharmrep on August 19, 2002, at 23:46:50
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by Patson on August 19, 2002, at 23:18:08
> > > Just for accuracy of information... Celexa's patent in the US won't expire until 2003. There is also a six month exclusivity extension due to clinical studies conducted in children. In addition, a generic citalopram would take about 18 months to get approval from the FDA. A generic equivalent for Celexa then wouldn't be available until sometime in 2005.
>
>
> > > The research shows Lexapro has no significant benefit over Celexa in terms of side-effects. People taking Lexapro 20mg report side-effects at the same rate as those on Celexa 40mg (86%).
> > >
> > > In the same study more people stopped taking Lexapro 20mg because of side-effects than those taking Celexa 40mg (10.4% vs 8.8%), but this difference was not statistically significant.
> > >
> > > The reason for this is that Lexapro is to all intents and purposes the same thing as Celexa but re-branded and re-patented. There is no evidence of the R-citalopram component they have removed doing anything of significance pharmacologically. To understand this 'new' drug you have to understand that the patent on Celexa just ran out, but the manufacturers can effectively renew the patent by isolating the active component and re-branding it.
> > >
> > > See more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4434943,00.html
> > >
> > > The critical comments in the article are mine.
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > Thanks for the article. It wouldn't surprise me a whole lot if the only advantage it winds up having is less medicine for your liver to clear out! I have always wondered about the "mechanism" versus "medicine" distinction between antidepressants when it comes to how they work and side-effects. SSRI's all tend to cause many similar wanted and unwanted effects. If they isolated the *active* isomer, then they probably isolated something that is *more* likely to cause typical SSRI wanted and *unwanted* effeects. It will be interesting to see the comments made here when people start "reporting" in about it.
> >
> > Mitch
> >
*** i dont get it...in 1 breath..the generic not being available til 2005 is stated, and in the next "patent beating" is thrown out? pick one (hint...its not patent beat) Next...the starting dose for Lex is 10mg...slightly higher in comparison to the higher titrated 40mg of Celexa...compare those side-effects equally, not the higher 20mg of Lex. (and its still "comparable to placebo" per the FDA)...And to understand this "new" drug is to know your isomer science..not this patent crap. (the Nobel Prize for chemistry was won in 2001 for the scientists who developed the technology Forest is using to create Lexapro...and at a lower cost than Celexa too.)
PS....you're right Mitch...only time will tell and then the truth will be known....so lets just watch and see.
poster:pharmrep
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020814/msgs/117037.html