BMJ  2005;331:70 (9 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7508.70-b

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FDA warns that antidepressants may increase suicidality in adults

New York Jeanne Lenzer

The US Food and Drug Administration last week reiterated its warning that adults treated with antidepressants must be closely observed by their doctors in case they experience worsening of depression and "increased suicidal thinking or behavior."

Agency officials simultaneously posted new information that a "higher than expected rate of suicide attempts was observed" among patients taking the antidepressant duloxetine (manufactured by Eli Lilly and marketed in the United States as Cymbalta).

Eli Lilly has objected to the FDA’s warning about duloxetine. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal (1 July; sect B: 3), Dr Steve Galson, acting director of the FDA’s drug centre, said that the company had "raised legal issues, including our use of confidential commercial information."

The FDA said that it launched a review of antidepressants after an article was published in the BMJ in February (2005;330:396) showing that adults taking selective . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Association between suicide attempts and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Dean Fergusson, Steve Doucette, Kathleen Cranley Glass, Stan Shapiro, David Healy, Paul Hebert, and Brian Hutton
BMJ 2005 330: 396. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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