Patient compliance to a new enteric-coated weekly formulation of fluoxetine during continuation treatment of major depressive disorder.
BACKGROUND
A new formulation of enteric-coated fluoxetine given once weekly could be a useful option for the long-term treatment of depression, but compliance to once-weekly fluoxetine treatment has not been assessed.


METHODS
Patients were adults from the United Kingdom who had responded to fluoxetine treatment for a current episode of depression (DSM-IV criteria). In the baseline assessment phase, all patients (N = 117) were continued on 20 mg of open-label fluoxetine once daily for 4 weeks. In the follow-up phase, patients (N = 109) were randomly assigned to once-weekly or once-daily fluoxetine for 3 months. Patient compliance was monitored by electronic devices during both phases of the study.


RESULTS
Compliance to once-weekly fluoxetine treatment was higher than compliance to once-daily fluoxetine (85.9% vs. 79.4%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Once-weekly fluoxetine treatment allows for new flexibility for both the clinician and the patient, and this study alleviates the concern that patients will forget weekly doses.
Claxton
A
A
Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, Ind 46285, USA. Ami.Claxton@lilly.com
de Klerk
E
E
Parry
M
M
Robinson
J M
JM
Schmidt
M E
ME
D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004349:Drug Packaging / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013608:Tablets, Enteric-Coated; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D013608:Tablets, Enteric-Coated; D005473:Fluoxetine