Forest filed for Celexa follow-up in USA

Forest Laboratories has submitted a New Drug Application to the US Foodand Drug Administration seeking approval to market escitalopram for the treatment of depression. Escitalopram, the single isomer of Forest's marketed drug Celexa (citalopram) is a more potent and selective form of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor which offers a rpid onset of action and good tolerability. Forest licenses US rights to both citalopram and escitalopram from Danish firm Lundbeck, which recently filed for approval of the single-isomer drug in Sweden (Marketletter February 12).