Lexapro and Zoloft are "best" antidepressants

A meta-analysis published in the January 29 issue of The Lancet suggests that clinically-important differences exist between commonly-prescribed  antidepressants in terms of both efficacy and acceptability.

A team of scientists led by Andrea Cipriani of the University of  Verona, Italy, found that Pfizer's off-patent drug Zoloft (sertraline)  and Forest/Lundbeck's Lexapro (escitalopram) showed clear benefits  over the other 12 next-generation antidepressants evaluated.

The study concluded that sertraline might be the best choice when  starting treatment for moderate-to-severe major depression in adults  because it has "the most favorable balance between benefits,  acceptability and acquisition cost."