Youth Antidepressant Use Down Due to Risks-Medco

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Youth Antidepressant Use Down Due to Risks-Medco

21 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of children and teenagers taking antidepressants

has fallen more than 20 percent this year after U.S. warnings the medicines may

increase suicidal tendencies among youth, pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health

Solutions Inc. said on Tuesday.

Medco, which acts as an intermediary between employers, health plans and

drugmakers, said its research indicates an 18 percent decrease in the number of

patients under age 18 who took an antidepressant in the first quarter of 2004.

An additional 5 percent decrease was seen in the second quarter, it said.

The data suggest a turnaround from prescription trends between 2000 and 2003,

when there was a combined 25 percent increase in sales of such drugs to

children, Medco said.

However, Medco's findings conflict with estimates of an FDA (news - web sites)

official, who last week said antidepressant prescriptions for children rose this

year despite widespread publicity about risks of the drugs to youth.

The FDA official said his conclusion was based on pharmacy sales figures

collected by IMS Health, a consulting company that tracks drug sales.

Medco, which authorizes filling of prescriptions for 60 million Americans in

insurance plans, came up with the findings after analyzing prescription patterns

among its clients.

Medco said the drop in youth usage began after the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (news - web sites) issued an advisory in October 2003 that cited

reports of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among children treated with

certain antidepressants.

Critics charge the agency was slow to act and instead chose to discount the

findings of one of its own researchers.

" Studies show that greater caution is needed when treating pediatric and teen

depression with medication, and it's clear that physicians are heeding these

warnings, " said Dr. Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer.

More attention to the risks came in March, when the FDA required makers of 10

antidepressants to include stronger warnings on their package inserts of

potential suicidal tendencies among young users.

The risks were further highlighted last week when an advisory panel to the FDA

urged the agency to require a " black box " warning of the dangers on the drug

labels, the strongest type used for prescription drugs, to get the message to

doctors.

The panel said safety concerns applied to nine drugs it has studied. They

include Eli Lilly and Co's. Prozac, GlaxoKline Plc's Paxil and Wellbutrin,

Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft, Wyeth's Effexor and Forest Laboratories Inc.'s Celexa.

Many of the drugs belong to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors, or SSRIs. The drugs maximize the presence in the brain of a

messenger chemical called serotonin.

The black box warnings should also appear on older antidepressants, including a

family of drugs called tricyclics, the panel said.

Moreover, some panelists said the drug labels should reflect that none of the

medicines, with the exception of Prozac, have proven effective in children and

been cleared by the FDA for pediatric use.

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---------------------------------

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http://story.news./news?tmpl=story & cid=571 & ncid=751 & e=1 & u=/nm/20040921/\

hl_nm/health_antidepressants_dc

Youth Antidepressant Use Down Due to Risks-Medco

21 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of children and

teenagers taking antidepressants has fallen more than

20 percent this year after U.S. warnings the medicines

may increase suicidal tendencies among youth, pharmacy

benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc. said on

Tuesday.

Medco, which acts as an intermediary between

employers, health plans and drugmakers, said its

research indicates an 18 percent decrease in the

number of patients under age 18 who took an

antidepressant in the first quarter of 2004. An

additional 5 percent decrease was seen in the second

quarter, it said.

The data suggest a turnaround from prescription trends

between 2000 and 2003, when there was a combined 25

percent increase in sales of such drugs to children,

Medco said.

However, Medco's findings conflict with estimates of

an FDA (news - web sites) official, who last week said

antidepressant prescriptions for children rose this

year despite widespread publicity about risks of the

drugs to youth.

The FDA official said his conclusion was based on

pharmacy sales figures collected by IMS Health, a

consulting company that tracks drug sales.

Medco, which authorizes filling of prescriptions for

60 million Americans in insurance plans, came up with

the findings after analyzing prescription patterns

among its clients.

Medco said the drop in youth usage began after the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites)

issued an advisory in October 2003 that cited reports

of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among

children treated with certain antidepressants.

Critics charge the agency was slow to act and instead

chose to discount the findings of one of its own

researchers.

" Studies show that greater caution is needed when

treating pediatric and teen depression with

medication, and it's clear that physicians are heeding

these warnings, " said Dr. Epstein, Medco's

chief medical officer.

More attention to the risks came in March, when the

FDA required makers of 10 antidepressants to include

stronger warnings on their package inserts of

potential suicidal tendencies among young users.

The risks were further highlighted last week when an

advisory panel to the FDA urged the agency to require

a " black box " warning of the dangers on the drug

labels, the strongest type used for prescription

drugs, to get the message to doctors.

The panel said safety concerns applied to nine drugs

it has studied. They include Eli Lilly and Co's.

Prozac, GlaxoKline Plc's Paxil and Wellbutrin,

Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft, Wyeth's Effexor and Forest

Laboratories Inc.'s Celexa.

Many of the drugs belong to a class of drugs called

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The

drugs maximize the presence in the brain of a

messenger chemical called serotonin.

The black box warnings should also appear on older

antidepressants, including a family of drugs called

tricyclics, the panel said.

Moreover, some panelists said the drug labels should

reflect that none of the medicines, with the exception

of Prozac, have proven effective in children and been

cleared by the FDA for pediatric use.

[Guest guest]

Cheers

--- Jim <mofunnow@...> wrote:

---------------------------------

I'm loving it.

http://story.news./news?tmpl=story & cid=571 & ncid=751 & e=1 & u=/nm/20040921/\

hl_nm/health_antidepressants_dc

Youth Antidepressant Use Down Due to Risks-Medco

21 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of children and

teenagers taking antidepressants has fallen more than

20 percent this year after U.S. warnings the medicines

may increase suicidal tendencies among youth, pharmacy

benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc. said on

Tuesday.

Medco, which acts as an intermediary between

employers, health plans and drugmakers, said its

research indicates an 18 percent decrease in the

number of patients under age 18 who took an

antidepressant in the first quarter of 2004. An

additional 5 percent decrease was seen in the second

quarter, it said.

The data suggest a turnaround from prescription trends

between 2000 and 2003, when there was a combined 25

percent increase in sales of such drugs to children,

Medco said.

However, Medco's findings conflict with estimates of

an FDA (news - web sites) official, who last week said

antidepressant prescriptions for children rose this

year despite widespread publicity about risks of the

drugs to youth.

The FDA official said his conclusion was based on

pharmacy sales figures collected by IMS Health, a

consulting company that tracks drug sales.

Medco, which authorizes filling of prescriptions for

60 million Americans in insurance plans, came up with

the findings after analyzing prescription patterns

among its clients.

Medco said the drop in youth usage began after the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites)

issued an advisory in October 2003 that cited reports

of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among

children treated with certain antidepressants.

Critics charge the agency was slow to act and instead

chose to discount the findings of one of its own

researchers.

" Studies show that greater caution is needed when

treating pediatric and teen depression with

medication, and it's clear that physicians are heeding

these warnings, " said Dr. Epstein, Medco's

chief medical officer.

More attention to the risks came in March, when the

FDA required makers of 10 antidepressants to include

stronger warnings on their package inserts of

potential suicidal tendencies among young users.

The risks were further highlighted last week when an

advisory panel to the FDA urged the agency to require

a " black box " warning of the dangers on the drug

labels, the strongest type used for prescription

drugs, to get the message to doctors.

The panel said safety concerns applied to nine drugs

it has studied. They include Eli Lilly and Co's.

Prozac, GlaxoKline Plc's Paxil and Wellbutrin,

Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft, Wyeth's Effexor and Forest

Laboratories Inc.'s Celexa.

Many of the drugs belong to a class of drugs called

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The

drugs maximize the presence in the brain of a

messenger chemical called serotonin.

The black box warnings should also appear on older

antidepressants, including a family of drugs called

tricyclics, the panel said.

Moreover, some panelists said the drug labels should

reflect that none of the medicines, with the exception

of Prozac, have proven effective in children and been

cleared by the FDA for pediatric use.