Effexor XR May Prevent New Episodes of Depression

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Effexor XR May Prevent New Episodes of Depression for Up to Two Years

(May 24, 2006) -- New clinical trial data shows venlafaxine extended release (Effexor XR) helped patients prevent new episodes of depression for up to two years. Results from the Prevention of Recurrent Episodes of Depression with VENlafaxine XR for Two Years (PREVENT) study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto, Canada.

The World Health Organization categorizes depression among the most disabling clinical diagnoses in the world and estimates that it affects nearly 340 million people worldwide, including approximately 19 million U.S. adults. Much of the burden of this disease is linked to its recurrent nature – up to 85 percent of patients are likely to experience multiple episodes of depression.

“For the majority of people with depression, recurrence after remission occurs often,” says Martin Keller, Professor and Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University. “But these data showed that venlafaxine extended release can help prevent new episodes of depression – providing an option to the millions of adult patients with depression who have experienced a disappointing setback or who are still seeking symptom relief.”

The results of the two consecutive 12-month phases demonstrated that patients taking venlafaxine extended release were significantly more likely to remain recurrence-free than patients taking placebo. In the first maintenance phase, the probability of recurrence was 23.1 percent among patients given venlafaxine extended release (n=164) compared to 42.0 percent among patients given placebo (n=172) (P=0.005). The difference was even more pronounced in the second maintenance phase, with an 8.0 percent likelihood of recurrence among those given venlafaxine extended release (n=43) versus 44.8 percent among those given placebo (n=40) (P<0.001).

Patients in the study were 18 years or older and had a history of two or more episodes of major depression during the past five years, including their current episode. Additionally, these patients experienced at least three episodes of depression during their lifetime. Of this group, 80 percent had received antidepressant therapy during the course of their illness.

“Until about five years ago, antidepressant response was the standard for treatment; today, remission is the goal,” says Philip Ninan, Vice President, Neuroscience, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. “These data may encourage physicians to raise their expectations of treatment to include long-term prevention of new episodes of depression.”

It is recommended that physicians who elect to use venlafaxine extended release for extended periods should re-evaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient.

Adverse events reported in this study were comparable to placebo. During the second year of maintenance, discontinuation rates were 28 percent in the venlafaxine (Effexor XR) extended release group and 63 percent in the placebo group.

Source: Wyeth Press Release

Last updated: 5/06

Effexor XR May Prevent New Episodes of Depression for Up to Two Years

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