Novel compound could become new antidepressant

Washington, Feb 5 (ANI): Oregon State University chemists have created a new compound that may soon be used as a new antidepressant.

James White, a professor emeritus of chemistry at OSU, said: Based on our results so far, this promises to be one of the most effective antidepressants yet developed.

"It may have efficacy similar to some important drugs being used now, but with fewer side effects."

According to White, early antidepressants such as tricyclic antidepressants often produced undesirable results like constipation, dry mouth, drowsiness and hypotension, or low blood pressure.

Although a second generation of antidepressants, which included the drugs Prozac and Zoloft, produced only minor side effects, they often took weeks to become effective and sometimes didn't help patients adequately.

White said: "The prototype of the third-generation drug in this field is Cymbalta, which tries to better balance the inhibited re-uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, further reducing side effects and offering more immediate efficacy...It's been extremely popular."

He added: "Our compound is 10 times better than Cymbalta at inhibiting the re-uptake of norepinephine and comes close to the holy grail of a perfectly balanced antidepressant," White said. "It should produce even fewer side effects, such as concerns with constipation and hypotension. Final results, of course, won't be known until the completion of human clinical trials."

OSU researchers have reported the findings in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. (ANI)