- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Patients
taking anti-depressants, including children and teenagers, should be closely
monitored for signs of worsening depression and suicidal thoughts, U.S.
health authorities said on Monday.
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- The warning comes after a panel of experts last month
called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue stronger warnings
about the possible risks of suicidal behavior among children and teenagers
taking antidepressant drugs.
-
- U.S. health officials are studying whether antidepressants
can make children and teenagers suicide-prone but have not yet reached
a conclusion.
-
- "It is not yet clear whether antidepressants contribute
to the emergence of suicidal thinking and behavior," the FDA said
in a statement.
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- Questions about a possible link with suicidal behavior
arose last year when regulators were reviewing clinical trials of children
who took GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Paxil.
-
- The other antidepressants the FDA is evaluating include
Forest Laboratories Inc.'s Celexa, Solvay's Luvox, Akzo Nobel's Remeron,
Bristol-Myers Squibb's Serzone, Pfizer's Zoloft, Eli Lilly and Co.'s Prozac,
and Wyeth's Effexor.
-
- Only Prozac, sold generically as fluoxetine, is approved
for treating pediatric depression.
-
- The FDA advised patients and doctors watch for signs
of hostility, anxiety, insomnia and other behaviors that could signal worsening
depression and suicidal thoughts.
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- The agency asked manufacturers to change the labels of
10 drugs to include stronger warnings about patient monitoring.
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