Pediatric antidepressant use drops 23%

Executive Summary

The number of patients under 18 on antidepressant drugs dropped by 23% in the first two quarters of 2004, Medco reports. The drop in antidepressant use "contrasts sharply to the steady quarterly chartings of the data since 2002," Medco said. The decline in pediatric use of the drugs coincides with FDA health advisories and increased public attention to potential suicidal tendencies associated with the drugs, Medco notes. An FDA analysis of IMS data presented at its Sept. 13-14 meeting on antidepressant suicidality found no decline in new prescriptions for pediatric patients in the first half of 2004...