ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2008) — The news about antidepressant
medications over the past several years has been mixed. The bad news
from large multicenter studies such as STAR*D is that current
antidepressant medications are effective, but not as effective as one
might hope. Thus, there is a significant need for new treatment
mechanisms for depression. On that front, there has been mixed news as
well.
One of the most exciting new drugs to reach human clinical trials, one
that blocks the corticotrophin releasing factor-1 (CRF1) receptor, did
not work in a large clinical trial sponsored by Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals. Is it time to abandon CRF1 antagonists as
antidepressants or should we revisit these agents from a new
perspective? It is in this context that a new paper by Alexandre
Surget and colleagues, scheduled for publication in the August 15th
issue of Biological Psychiatry, is particularly interesting.
<more> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827100814.htm
