Zoloft Gets OCD Indication

Pfizer has been granted approval to market its selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Zoloft (sertraline) for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the USA. Zoloft already makes over $1 billion a year in sales from its primary indication of depression, second only to Eli Lilly's Prozac (fluoxetine).

Earlier this year, Pfizer was reprimanded by the US Food and Drug Administration for promoting Zoloft to patients for unapproved uses, including OCD, so the new approval is an important fillip for the company and should help to boost sales of the drug still further. Pfizer is seeking to expand the indications for Zoloft even further by seeking approval to market the drug for the treatment of depression in children.

Focus On Early-Stage Research John Niblack, executive vice president for R&D, presented details of the company's pipeline and stressed the emphasis on early-stage, innovation-seeking research at Pfizer. Pfizer's discovery scientists will deliver 17 new drug candidates to the early development stage of the pipeline, a new record for the company.