The Guardian and other news sources reported one of the largest studies including a meta-analysis of 47 published and unpublished clinical trials of modern antidepressant drugs that compared the effect on patients taking the drugs with those given a placebo. Some data were obtained through the Freedom of Information rules.
The researchers found the new-generation antidepressant medication has little overall clinical significance and the drugs were effective only in the most extremely depressed. The author said "this study raises serious issues that need to be addressed surrounding drug licensing and how drug trial data is reported."
The paper was published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine and is expected to have an impact on doctors in prescribing the drugs more cautiously.
Source: "Initial Severity and Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis of Data Submitted to the Food and Drug Administration" PLoS Medicine February 26, 2008 ( free full text)
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