Friday, US drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) and German pharma company Boehringer Ingelheim group, announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the European Medicines Agency has issued a positive opinion supporting the approval of Cymbalta for the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder or GAD.
According to the companies, CHMP's opinion is based upon the results of five clinical studies involving more than 2,000 non-depressed adults with GAD. The five studies included four double-blind placebo-controlled studies and a relapse prevention study. Each of the studies reported improvement in patients, the companies said.
Based on studies, the companies said more than nine million Europeans and six million people in Central and South America are estimated to suffer from GAD.
Cymbalta, a member of a class of drugs commonly referred to as serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, is already approved to treat major depressive disorder and diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain. It gained marketing authorisation for the treatment of GAD in the United States in 2007.
LLY closed Thursday's session on NYSE at $46.02, on an average 3-month volume of 5.56 million shares.
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