‘Considerable Scope for Improvement’ in Antidepressants Market

Thursday 25 October 2012, Amsterdam

Further research into the disease etiology of a number of mental health disorders would open up considerable scope for improvement in the development of antidepressants, says a new report.

The report states that the global antidepressants market for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder (PD) – estimated at $11.9 bn in 2011 – is forecast to generate $13.4 bn by 2018. Antidepressants are among the top three most prescribed classes of drugs in the US, along with cholesterol-lowering drugs and painkillers.

The report states that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) are the most commonly prescribed classes of antidepressants, but many patients fail to respond adequately to them, while a significant number of patients also discontinue therapy due to negative and unwanted side effects.

Latency is also a factor in drug compliance, as the positive effects of antidepressants may only be seen after around six weeks, leading to more instances of treatment discontinuance due to frustration and lost confidence in the drug. The report estimates that around 25% of patients will stop taking their prescribed medication within the first four weeks of treatment.

The pharmaceutical industry has so far struggled to improve on current antidepressants, partly due to inadequate understanding and the difficulty of conducting clinical trials, according to an analysis. A notably high placebo effect, and a lack of objective assessment criteria and financing all represent drawbacks for scientific study into antidepressant therapeutics.

Without major breakthroughs in scientific understanding, development activity in this therapeutic area will be restricted. However, this does leave considerable scope for improvement over the current treatment options if understanding of the disease etiology improves.