Antidepressant market to depress by 2012

A report by a leading global growth consulting company has predicted that the European antidepressant markets, which earned drugmakers $4.7 billion in 2005, will decline to $4.5 billion by 2012. Frost and Sullivan also states that "the market has the potential to support blockbusters," as new classes of therapies become available.

Escalating generic competition is likely to lead to increased market share for the serotonin norpinephrine reuptake inhibitor class of drugs, as opposed to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that currently dominate the market.