title: Sertraline versus fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression: a combined analysis of five double-blind comparator studies.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine response and remission rates in outpatients treated with sertraline or fluoxetine who were suffering from two depression subtypes: anxious-depression and severe depression. Data were pooled from five double-blind studies comparing fluoxetine versus sertraline for the treatment of DSM-III-R or IV major depression. Clinical outcome was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I). One thousand and eighty-eight patients were randomized, with 654 (60%) meeting criteria for anxious depression and 212 (19%) meeting criteria for high severity depression. For the total sample, treatment response was similar for both sertraline and fluoxetine. In the high severity subgroup, the mean (+/-SD) HAM-D score at week 12 was 8.9+/-5.7 for sertraline and 10.8+/-6.9 for fluoxetine (P=0.07), and the mean (+/-SD) CGI-I score was 1.5+/-0.7 for sertraline and 2.0+/-1.1 for fluoxetine (P=0.005). CGI-I responder rates were 88% versus 71% (P=0.03) in the high severity subgroup, and 84% versus 79% (P=0.16) in the anxious-depression subgroup. Overall, sertraline and fluoxetine showed comparable antidepressant efficacy, although sertraline may offer an advantage in those patients with severe depression.
authors.affiliation: Feiger Health Research Center, Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033, USA. al@feigerresearch.com
authors.forename: Alan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Feiger
authors.forename: Martine F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Flament
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gillespie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020280:Sertraline / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D020280:Sertraline