VILAZODONE: A NEW TREATMENT OPTION FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Vilazodone hydrochloride belongs to a new class of antidepressants-the indolalkylamines-and has dual activity as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and as a partial agonist of the serotonin 5-HT(1A) receptor. Its antidepressant activity has been demonstrated in two 8-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials and in a 1-year open-label study. None of these trials compared vilazodone with existing antidepressants; however, changes in depressive symptoms after. vilazodone treatment were similar to those reported for SSRIs. The most common adverse events were diarrhea and nausea, although these were mild to moderate in severity and rarely a cause for discontinuation. No important clinical changes in vital signs, laboratory values, ECG morphology and sexual function were observed or reported.