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The US Food
and Drug Administration
(FDA) has approved a once-weekly formulation of Eli Lilly's Prozac for
the treatment of depression.
According to the Indianapolis, Indiana-based drug
firm, Prozac Weekly is the first and only
prescription drug indicated
for weekly administration in patients being treated for long-term
depression.
Specifically, the drug is indicated for patients whose
depressive symptoms have stabilized and who require continuing treatment
to prevent a relapse or return of symptoms.
The once-weekly formulation consists of 90 milligrams
of fluoxetine with an enteric coating
that delays release of the ingredient into the bloodstream.
Prozac Weekly comes in a package that contains a
4-week supply of the drug. According to the Lilly spokesperson, the net
wholesale price for Prozac Weekly is $63, compared with $71.26 for a month's
supply of the 20 milligram daily pill.
FDA Bulletin February
27, 2001
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