It is an innovative mental health drug developed and manufactured by Solvay. Solvay-Meiji is a joint venture of Solvay SA and Meiji Seika.
Experts believe that depression is underrecognized in Japan.
Today this market is around USD 140 million, but it is expected to grow. Like in many other countries mental illness is often considered to be profoundly stigmatizing, not just to patients but also to their families. Depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders are complicated diagnoses to make with many patients going unrecognized. In the last decade the introduction of SSRI's as antidepressant drugs has had a major impact on the treatment of depression. This growth can be explained by improvements in the diagnosis of depression, the ease and efficacy of SSRI treatment, and an increase in the duration of the treatment.