Transdermal Patch Could Herald Renewed Popularity for MAOIs
Jim Rosack Monoamine oxidase inhibitors may be poised for a comeback, thanks to a novel way of administering the often troublesome, but effective, antidepressants.
Administering the selective monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) selegiline through a transdermal patch could be an effective and safe alternative in antidepressant therapy, if early research is replicated.
J. Alexander Bodkin, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and research psychiatrist at McLean Hospital, reported in the November American Journal of Psychiatry that transdermal selegiline at a dose equivalent to 20 mg per day was an effective and well-tolerated antidepressant therapy.
The study reported, the first of four clinical trials involving the transdermal patch, was funded by Somerset Pharmaceuticals, which is developing the product under the trade name EmSam. An application in May 2001 to the Food and Drug Administration for approval of the transdermal product was ultimately deemed by the FDA to be not approvable. Company officials hope to reapply in the first half of next year with more complete efficacy and safety data, a company source said.
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