New Pfizer drug helps manage depression

MANILA, Philippines - Bringing the desolate back to life, Pfizer Philippines recently introduced a new drug that aims to aid Filipino psychiatrists in treating their patients who are battling major depressive disorder (MDD), since such mental illness adversely affects the quality of life of people suffering from it. 

The prescription medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression in adults, is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

As an SNRI, the drug is said to work by affecting the levels of two neurotransmitters — serotonin and norepinephrine — in the brain, which are believed to play a key role in MDD, because experts believe that the imbalance of the said chemicals may result in depression.

According to Dr. Anthony Leachon, medical director of Pfizer Philippines, the product is a result of the company’s research and development efforts that aim to provide better health care options to patients.

He said, “With the aid of this drug, the depressed will once again be able to smile effortlessly, have happy thoughts and healthy connections with others, and maintain productivity in their work.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Roger McIntyre, an associate professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto who flew to Manila for the launch, pointed out that there are still various challenges in treating major depressive disorder and one of those is that patients tend to discontinue the use of the prescribed medicine because of side effects.

Of this, McIntyre said the solution lies in finding the right medication for patients, such as this innovation from Pfizer.

He said, “This antidepressant was developed to improve the adherence by improving tolerability. It’s the only antidepressant wherein the dropout rate due to adverse events is similar to placebo — so it has no additional dropout rate because of side effects.”

He added: “We hope that patients will benefit from this medication and yet tolerate their therapy.”

For Dr. Ma. Imelda Batar, former president of the Philippine Psychiatry Association and one of the guest speakers during the launch, “it is notable that while MDD may not always lead to suicide, it is still the most common reported symptom of mental illness which can still be treated, because for the depressed, the essence of survival is increased access to opportunities for an improved quality of life.”

She then asked: “Those suffering from depression may have no suicidal ideation but wish to die. Therefore, without the aid of appropriate and effective therapy and medication, can one go back to her ‘old self’?”

However, with the latest antidepressant drug of Pfizer, such question seems to have already been answered, because the Pfizer drug is said to be proven to relieve a broad range of depression symptoms. But since it is a prescription medication, it can only be taken as prescribed by a health care professional.

Proving its mission of saving lives, Pfizer, with over 12,500 scientists in its research sites all over the world, has continuously cared for generations of Filipino families through upholding its heritage of delivering quality, effective, and safe medicine.