Conclusions : International differences in prescriber behaviour may influence , and in turn be influenced by , the conduct of clinical trials .
Objective : International differences are thought to exist in dosages used by clinicians treating mood disorders .
This study examined international dosage differences in antidepressant clinical trials , using a data base formed and maintained as a component of a Cochrane review of comparative clinical trials of fluoxetine .
Efficacy and safety of tianeptine in the treatment of depressive disorders in comparison with fluoxetine.
BACKGROUND Depression is treated by a great variety of antidepressant treatments . SSRIs ( such as fluoxetine ) are well known : it is , however , sure that further progress is needed and the search for antidepressants with other mechanisms of action ( such as tianeptine ) or different efficacy is still of interest . METHODS A multinational study compared tianeptine with fluoxetine in 387 patients with Depressive Episode , or Recurrent Depressive Disorder , or Bipolar Affective Disorder ( ICD-10 ) , in a double-blind parallel group design . They were treated for six weeks . RESULTS At inclusion , no significant difference between groups was shown . Final MADRS scores were 15.7 and 15.8 with tianeptine and fluoxetine , respectively ( ITT population ) ( p = 0.944 ) . MADRS responders were 58 % and 56 % with tianeptine and fluoxetine , respectively ( p = 0.710 ) . No statistical difference was observed for the other efficacy parameters . Thirty-six withdrawals occurred in each group , without any difference for the reasons of discontinuation . There was no major difference between groups for the other safety parameters . CONCLUSIONS In this study , both tianeptine and fluoxetine exhibited a good efficacy and safety
Conclusions : International differences in prescriber behaviour may influence , and in turn be influenced by , the conduct of clinical trials .
Objective : International differences are thought to exist in dosages used by clinicians treating mood disorders .
This study examined international dosage differences in antidepressant clinical trials , using a data base formed and maintained as a component of a Cochrane review of comparative clinical trials of fluoxetine .