Efficacy and safety of escitalopram in elderly persons: pooled analysis of five open-label observational studies
Abstract
Using the data from five open-label observational studies of the efficacy and safety of escitalopram (Cipralex) organized by the original manufacturer (Lundbeck) in the Czech Republic between 2003 and 2007 (N = 27183), an analysis of the efficacy and occurrence of adverse effects in persons of younger and older age was performed. The main inclusion criterion was the indication of treatment with escitalopram.
The most common reason for commencing treatment with escitalopram was depression (37.1%) followed by the category of anxiety and neurotic disorders (28.7%). The assessment of age effect was based on two different age levels.
The first type of analyses aimed to determine the differences between patients aged under 49 years inclusive and 50 years and older. The other type compared patients aged under 64 years and those aged 65 years and older.
The persons of older age noted the first improvement 1-2 days later than younger persons. After 2.5 to 3 months of treatment, the therapy proved to be slightly more effective in younger persons (approximately 0.15 points in severity of illness according to CGI scale) when both criteria were used.
No adverse effects were observed in 8.3% of the patients treated. Surprisingly, adverse effects occurred less frequently in younger persons than older persons.
This pooled analysis confirms the previous findings on the efficacy and safety of escitalopram in controlled studies, including the findings in elderly persons.