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

News extra

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]


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

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]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

The following characteristics of suicide
Sergio A Pérez Barrero
bmj.com, 8 Jul 2005 [Full text]
Where to go from here
Dr Mohan Chawla
bmj.com, 11 Jul 2005 [Full text]
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ