Vilazodone A New Antidepressant Drug Approved By The FDA in Just 8 Weeks of Testing

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vilazodone tablets (Viibryd, Clinical Data, Inc) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.

For the 18 million Americans dealing with daily depression, this is great news!

Vilazodone is the first approved drug that is both a combination selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a partial agonist of serotonergic (5HT1A) receptors.

In 2 randomized, double-blind trials in adults with MDD, vilazodone 40 mg once daily was shown to be significantly superior to placebo at improving depressive symptoms, as measured by a mean change in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score from baseline to week 8. Patients in the study were titrated up to the 40-mg dose during the course of 2 weeks.