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---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Depression will burden society, study shows ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIENNA, Austria (September 14, 1997 2:04 p.m. EDT) - Depression will become a huge burden on society, costing billions of dollars in treatment and lost productivity, unless better drugs are developed to combat the disorder, a study released Sunday showed. The report, presented by Oxford University professor of psychiatry Guy Goodwin at a conference of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ENCP) in Vienna, showed psychiatrists are dissatisfied with the treatments available. The study by British research company ISIS on behalf of Organon, a business unit of chemicals group Akzo Nobel, involved 150 doctors -- mostly psychiatrists -- attending the World Congress of Biological Psychiatry in France in June. "Depression is becoming more, not less, of a problem to to society. We cannot afford to ignore this serious and often deadly illness," Goodwin said, speaking ahead of the four-day Vienna forum which opened Sunday. Depression -- mood and anxiety disorder -- is estimated to cost the United States alone over $53 billion a year, mainly through absenteeism among workers and reduced productivity. The study showed most psychiatrists agreed with a World Health Organization forecast that depression will be the leading cause of disability in the developing world by 2020. "Only 14 percent of psychiatrists believe patients are satisfied with the treatment they currently receive," said Goodwin. At the same time Professor Norman Sussman of New York University School of Medicine outlined his experience of Organon's new antidepressant Remeron (mirtazapine), which has been on the U.S. market for just over one year. "It is an excellent and ground-breaking first choice treatment for depression," he said. Remeron's fast onset of action, efficacy and tolerability were all important factors in the drug's favour, he added. "Many patients experience an almost immediate improvement in sleep, and highly anxious and agitated patients report immediate relief of these symptoms," said Sussman. Remeron is a novel dual-action drug which acts on both the brain's noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmitters, where an imbalance is believed to be the cause of depression. Antidepressants come in three main classes -- tricyclics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which just act on the serotonin transmitter, and dual-action noradrenergic and specific serotonergic anti-depressants. Professor David Nutt of Bristol University's pyschopharmacology unit said Remeron will have a very positive role in treating depression in the future. "I was impressed. It has a unique mode of action, a very nice side-effect profile, and it's very safe," he said. Sussman said he had found Remeron to be superior in its efficacy to Eli Lilly's Prozac, the best-selling treatment for depression. Prozac sales were over $2.0 billion in 1995 but Remeron has already gained over 1 percent of the U.S. market. Organon says its new drug has fewer side-effects than other anti-depressants, which can cause sexual dysfunction, dry mouth, constipation and nausea. Remeron causes some weight gain and drowsiness but is safe in high doses. Remeron is available in 16 countries and is due for release in Britain on Sept. 22 and in France early next year. By ELIZABETH FULLERTON, Reuters Copyright 1997 Nando.net Copyright 1997 Reuter Information Service <http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/091497/health4_6046_noframes.html> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask]