About 740,000 patients take Prozac or its generics.
Who doesn’t know him? Prozac® is an emblematic treatment of depression in the world. He revolutionized the care of the disease as soon as it marketed in the late 1980s. In France, 500,000 Prozac® boxes were issued last year, according to figures communicated by the National Health Insurance Fund to the Women’s Journal. But on October 31, it will be over. Prozac® will no longer be available in pharmacies. A decision that concerns France as well as the rest of the world.
Prozac® stopping is “final”, Inform its manufacturer, the Lilly laboratory. He asks the prescribers of “Contact all patients currently treated to assess an appropriate therapeutic alternative and ensure continuity of treatment”. Prozac® is the trade name for fluoxetine. It is up to the family of so -called SSRI antidepressants, for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Its action aims to restore the balance of this key neurotransmitter in the regulation of mood, sleep or anxiety. Fluoxetine blocks the system which “recycles” serotonin in the brain, which increases its availability and allows to prolong its effect between neurons. It is this modulation which, gradually, helps to improve depressive and anxious symptoms.
The stopping of the drug does not follow up “Product safety or efficiency problems but reorganization to better support the rest of our drug portfolio, while taking into account the current wide availability of fluoxetine generics “ specifies Lilly. The laboratory had already stopped the drug in the form of a dispersible tablet in 2020 and a oral solution in 2021. There were only the capsules, today concerned by the judgment. It is not the only antidepressant made by Lilly that stops. Cymbalta® (duloxetine), another historic treatment in the field of psychiatry. Will no longer be available in France from October 31, according to the press release published this summer. What treatments to take instead?
The laboratory highlights the generics of these two drugs, which are actually numerous. These alternatives allow patients not to be disadvantaged but still call for vigilance. Changing antidepressants can have consequences on symptoms and side effects felt by the patient. Do not hesitate to contact the doctor or pharmacist to change credits or adjust the dose. On the other hand, you should never stop brutally or change your treatment without medical advice.
