--- title: "Psych News Alert: FDA Approves Medication for Major Depressive Disorder" description: Forest Laboratories Inc. and Pierre Fabre Laboratories announced July 26 that the FDA has approved their once-daily serotonin and norepinep... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Fetzima_83463970-Jun-24-2025-03-45-22-8962-PM.jpg --- 7/29/13 12:00 AM # FDA Approves Medication for Major Depressive Disorder ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/07/fda-approves-medication-for-major.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/07/fda-approves-medication-for-major.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/07/fda-approves-medication-for-major.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/07/fda-approves-medication-for-major.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/07/fda-approves-medication-for-major.html) | [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Fetzima_83463970-Jun-24-2025-03-45-21-9636-PM.jpg?width=166&name=Fetzima_83463970-Jun-24-2025-03-45-21-9636-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Fetzima_83463970-Jun-24-2025-03-45-23-9809-PM.jpg) | | | --- | --- | Forest Laboratories Inc. and Pierre Fabre Laboratories announced July 26 that the FDA has approved their once-daily serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) Fetzima (levomilnacipran extended release capsules) for treatment of major depressive disorder in adults. The double-blind phase 3 studies used a daily dose of either Fetzima, ranging from 40mg to 120mg, or placebo for 8 weeks. Subjects were diagnosed with moderate to severe depression indicated by an average score of 34 on the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) at baseline. The results showed a significant improvement in MADRS scores in Fetzima patients, with a 3.1 point difference between drug and placebo. A 2-point difference between drug effect and placebo general indicates a meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms. “I’m in favor of having more drugs available for patients,” said Alan Schatzberg, M.D., a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and a past APA President. “One drug does not have the same efficacy in every patient,” he told *Psychiatric News*. Schatzberg mentioned that more studies should be conducted to compare Fetzima with other available SNRIs. Read more about treatment for depressive disorders in *Psychiatric News* [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1688786) and in the *American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Mood Disorders *[here](http://www.appi.org/SearchCenter/Pages/SearchDetail.aspx?ItemId=62151). Schatzberg is a coeditor of that volume. 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[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/08/fda-approves-new-sleep-medication.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T15:50:40.253Z", "datePublished" : "2013-07-29T04:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Psych News Alert: FDA Approves Medication for Major Depressive Disorder", "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Fetzima_83463970-Jun-24-2025-03-45-22-8962-PM.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/07/fda-approves-medication-for-major.html", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg" } } } ```