Cymbalta delays onset of depression episode

New data suggest that US drug major Eli Lilly's Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) 60mg to 120mg, once daily, delayed the onset of a new episode of depression in patients who had previously responded to the medication and who had recurrent depressive disorder, defined in the study as those subjects who experienced at least three such episodes in the previous five years versus placebo (p<0.001).

Results from the 52-week maintenance phase of the longest controlled duloxetine study showed that patients treated with the drug were less likely (p<0.001) to experience a new episode of depression than those who received placebo (recurrence rates were 14.4% vs 33.1%, respectively).