Duloxetine: pharmacoeconomic implications of an antidepressant that alleviates painful physical symptoms

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent, chronic, medical disorder that encompasses a broad constellation of symptoms. The salience of painful physical symptoms in depressive presentations is increasingly appreciated. Duloxetine is a novel, potent, balanced, dual monoamine reuptake-inhibitor antidepressant indicated for the symptomatic relief of MDD. Duloxetine is marketed as an antidepressant that has inherent analgesic properties for depressed patients who present with prominent painful physical symptoms. Taken together, available evidence indicates that duloxetine provides a higher probability of, and shorter time to, remission than some antidepressants (e.g., fluoxetine). Duloxetine also offers symptom relief for painful physical symptoms in depressed patients. Pharmacoeconomic and cost-impact modelling analyses should be reformulated to consider duloxetine’s sym-ptom-alleviating effect on the somatic dimension of depressive illness.