Forest Laboratories has reported that its depression drug Lexapro was equally effective, and at least as well tolerated, as Wyeth's Effexor XR in a head-to-head clinical trial. Forest, which licensed its drug from Danish company Lundbeck, said the eight-week trial involved 98 patients with serious depression taking Lexapro and 100 taking Effexor XR. About 41 percent of the Lexapro group saw a remission in their symptoms after eight weeks, compared with about 37 percent of those on the Wyeth drug. But the difference was not statistically significant, according to Robert Bielski, a retired Michigan State University professor who led the study. Sixty-eight percent of patients taking Lexapro reported side effects compared with 85 percent on Effexor XR, a favorable trend, but again one that fell short of statistical significance. Despite favorable efficacy and safety trends for Lexapro, Bielski said the trial was too small to draw firm conclusions.

Source: FDA