Fluoxetine

Fluoxetine (trade name Prozac) is an antidepressant. Fluoxetine is approved for the treatment of major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, panic disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Despite the availability of newer agents, it remains extremely popular. Over 22.2 million prescriptions for generic formulations of Fluoxetine were filled in the United States in 2007, making it the third most prescribed antidepressant.

The work which eventually led to the discovery of fluoxetine began at Eli Lilly in 1970 as a collaboration between Bryan Molloy and Robert Rathbun.

Fluoxetine made its appearance on the Belgian market in 1986 and was approved for use by the FDA in the United States in December 1987. Fluoxetine was the fourth SSRI to make it to market. However, the first two were withdrawn due to the side effects, and a vigorous marketing campaign by Eli Lilly made sure that in the popular culture fluoxetine has been perceived as a scientific breakthrough and associated with the title of the first SSRI. Eli Lilly's patent on Prozac (fluoxetine) expired in August, 2001, prompting an influx of generic drugs onto the market.

Fluoxetine was shown to be effective for depression in 6-week long double-blind controlled trials where it also alleviated anxiety and improved sleep. Fluoxetine was better than placebo for the prevention of depression recurrence when the patients, who originally responded to fluoxetine, were treated for a further 38 weeks. Efficacy of fluoxetine for geriatric as well as pediatric depression was also demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials.

Fluoxetine has proved to be a good alternative to other anti depressant drugs. Recent research suggests that a significant part of the resistance to the drugs paroxetine and citalopram can be explained by the genetic variation of Pgp transporters. Paroxetine and citalopram, which are Pgp substrates, are actively transported from the brain by this protein. Fluoxetine is not a substrate of Pgp, and thus a switch from paroxetine or citalopram to fluoxetine may be beneficial to the non-responders

OCD was successfully treated by fluoxetine in two adult and one paediatric placebo-controlled 13-week trials. The higher doses of fluoxetine appeared to result in better response, while the reverse relationship was observed in the treatment of depression. Fluoxetine dramatically, by 40-50%, decreased the frequency of panic attacks in two controlled trials of panic disorder patients. In three double-blind trials fluoxetine significantly decreased the number of binge-eating and purging episodes of bulimia nervosa. Continued year-long treatment of the patients, who originally responded to fluoxetine, was more effective than placebo for the prevention of bulimia nervosa episodes.

The FDA requires all antidepressants, including fluoxetine, to carry a black box warning stating that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide in persons younger than 25. This warning is based on statistical analyses conducted by two independent groups of the FDA experts that found a 2-fold increase of the suicidal ideation and behaviour in children and adolescents, and 1.5-fold increase of suicidality in the 18–24 age group. The suicidality was slightly decreased for those older than 24, and statistically significantly lower in the 65 and older group.

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