New University of Pittsburgh Depression Study Shows Venlafaxine Significantly Superior to SSRIs - Virtual Elimination of the Symptoms of Depression with Novel Antidepressant Could Have Substantial Public Health Implications - PITTSBURGH, March 1 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Results of a new study published today in the "British Journal of Psychiatry" shows that significantly more patients with depression who were treated with venlafaxine (Effexor(R)) or venlafaxine extended-release capsules (Effexor XR(R)) become virtually symptom free than patients treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or a placebo(1). The study demonstrated consistent evidence that remission rates with venlafaxine were approximately 10 percentage points higher than those observed with SSRIs. To put this in perspective, this represents a 30 percent increase in the probability of remission with venlafaxine vs. SSRIs. This difference is thought to be because venlafaxine is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, which may result in two modes of action. Antidepressant efficacy traditionally has been measured by an ability to reduce depressive symptoms by 50 percent. This is the typical mandatory benchmark that has been established in order to gain approval by regulatory authorities like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)(2). A higher standard of efficacy measurement is known as "remission," or the virtual elimination of all symptoms of depression. When patients achieve full remission they are less likely to relapse(3) and are fully restored to normal psychosocial functioning(4) -- in other words, they are able to return to activities previously enjoyed before the onset of depressive symptoms. "For the millions of people who suffer from depression, the study results are very exciting," said Michael E. Thase, M.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and lead author of the study. "Given the high global prevalence of depression, coupled with its staggering associated costs, this difference represents a potentially tremendous clinical and economic advantage. This certainly is the strongest evidence yet that all antidepressants are not equally effective." The new data comes from eight double-blind trials that were pooled to compare remission rates of 2,045 patients with major depressive disorder who were treated with venlafaxine or venlafaxine extended-release capsules, an SSRI, or placebo. In the study, overall venlafaxine remission rates were 45 percent, compared to 35 percent for SSRIs, and 25 percent for placebo (p