Nuvigil: Not Better Than Placebo for Depression Symptoms in Bipolar

Millions of people around the world rely on antidepressants in the treatment of clinical depression and, to a lesser extent, bipolar disorder. Over a dozen such medications exist, and many are also available in generic form. But for reasons that scientists can’t yet adequately explain, some people don’t respond to many antidepressant drugs. And the drugs they do respond to may carry unwanted side effects that make taking the drug for any length of time downright challenging. So drug companies are constantly looking for new drugs, new uses for old drugs, and new formulations of old drugs to help improve their batting average. Sadly for this effort, though, we can cross off another potential drug — Nuvigil (armodafinil). Nuvigil (armodafinil) is an already-existing and FDA-approved drug for the treatment of “excessive sleepiness” due to narcolepsy, shift work, or obstructive sleep apnea. Its not an antidepressant in any traditional sense. Instead it’s something like a stimulant or a “wakefulness-promoting agent.”1 Since sleep problems and lethargy are common complaints of people with depressive symptoms, its manufacturer was trying to get an add-on approved treatment for depression symptoms in bipolar I disorder. The news was released yesterday by the drug’s researchers at Teva Pharmaceuticals. Nuvigil’s final Phase III studies showed statistical significance in “several important secondary endpoints” (w...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Antidepressant Bipolar Depression Disorders General Medications Research Sleep Stimulants Antidepressant Drugs armodafinil Batting Average Clinical Depression Depression Symptoms Depressive Symptoms Endpoints Excessive Slee Source Type: blogs