Skin patches treat depression

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first skin patch to treat depression. This is a new use of a long-used drug for Parkinson's patients.

FDA approved selegiline skin patch.

(Photo: VNN)

The drug will be sold under the name Ensam. Somerset Pharmaceuticals Inc., the drug maker, and Bristol-Myers Squib Co. will market drugs in three sizes, use once a day to treat depression.

Peter Dolan, president of Bristol-Myers Squib, said: "We believe that Emsam will help doctors treat depression patients more effectively."

Selegiline has been approved by the FDA in 1989 for use in people with Parkinson's disease, an inhibitory drug called MAOI.

Usually, doctors prescribe MAOI medications only when patients do not respond to other antidepressants, such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil-branded drugs.

Although health officials say that MAOI medicines are safe to use properly. But they can also cause dangerous reactions, such as sudden high blood pressure, and this can lead to a stroke when a patient eats or drinks foods that contain a substance called " tyramine "- this substance is often found in beer and wine in barrels, red wine, fava beans, sausage, perennial cheese, soya sauce and other products.

Bristol-Myers and Somerset said that patients taking Emsam patches, when using small sized pieces containing 6mg or less, will not need to pay attention to food and drinks.

However, people who use larger sized patches containing 9 or 12mg of skin-based medications once a day need to be concerned about food and drinks.