Controversial disease dropped from Prozac product information

The drug manufacturer Lilly has been forced to drop one of the disorders it had previously listed for its antidepressant drug fluoxetine (Prozac), following a finding by the European drug regulator that the condition was not a well-established disease entity.

Some health researchers welcomed the regulator's decision, saying premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which was only recently described, was an invented illness and a strong example of the medicalisation of ordinary life.

“I think it's a wonderful decision” says Paula Caplan, a psychologist adjunct and professor at Brown University, Rhode Island. “This kind of scrutiny of the science or …