Review: short-term benefit of escitalopram versus citalopram for depression uncertain, but big difference in French health insurance costs

Question Question: What is the efficacy of citalopram compared with escitalopram (its chiral switch form) in people with depression, and what is the impact on health insurance costs? Outcomes: Efficacy (response to treatment defined as 50% decrease in depression score on the Montgomery-Åsberg depression rating scale or Hamilton Scale) at 8 weeks (or closest time point); treatment acceptability (proportion of patients not dropping out during treatment); health insurance costs. Methods Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources: A systematic review of reviews and randomised controlled trials (RCTS) was carried out; see online notes for details. A representative sample of the French National Health Insurance Inter-regime Information System (SNIIR-AM) was searched for reimbursement costs between January 2003 and December 2010 (generic citalopram introduced December 2003, and escitalopram introduced in June 2005). Study selection and analysis: RCTs assessing the efficacy of citalopram or escitalopram as a head-to-head comparison or...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Clinical trials (epidemiology), Depressive disorder, Epidemiology Therapeutics Source Type: research