Panel votes to extend antidepressant black box warning to children and teens: NewsTarget.com

An advisory panel for the FDA recommended that warnings of suicidal thoughts and behavior in adults up to age 25 be put on antidepressant drug packaging, but a health advocate notes that few people pay attention to these warnings anyway.

Currently, antidepressant drugs such as Pfizer's Zoloft and Eli Lilly's Prozac and Cymbalta carry "black box" warnings -- the FDA's most severe warning for dangerous prescription drugs -- stating that the medications may increase suicidal thoughts or behavior in children and teens shortly after initial treatment. According to health information company IMS Health, sales of these drugs brought in $12.5 billion in 2005.

The recommendation was proposed in a 6-2 vote in favor, and also advised the FDA to note that the dangers seemed to drop after age 30 and the drugs even seemed to protect against suicidal behavior in older patients, particularly those older than 65. They also recommended the labels warn that untreated depression could lead to serious consequences, including suicide.

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Panel votes to extend antidepressant black box warning to children and teens

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