Pfizer's antidepressant Zoloft (sertraline) has become the secondselective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to be approved in the USA for panic disorder, after SmithKline Beecham's Paxil (paroxetine). The approved indication is "the treatment of panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia," and labeling is comparable to Paxil.
Other competitors are set to enter the market in the not too distant future. Eli Lilly is conducting Phase III trials of its best-selling SSRI Prozac (fluoxetine) in panic, to supplement its existing indications in depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bulimia. Solvay's Luvox (fluvoxamine), already approved for depression and OCD in the USA, is also in Phase III trials for panic. Finally, Wyeth-Ayerst is conducting mid-stage trials in panic disorder with its serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor antidepressant Effexor (venlafaxine).
Zoloft also received new labeling saying that it is effective for the maintenance of depression for up to 52 weeks. The drug was approved for the treatment of depression in 1992, and for OCD in 1996.
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