Antidepressants continue to dominate OCD drug market

Treatment options for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are currently dominated by antidepressants, and this trend is expected to continue for the next seven to eight years, unless drugmakers step up their future research to develop new, more effective treatments, according to a new report by business intelligence company GlobalData.

The new report suggests that, despite an increasing public awareness of the disorder, a lack of new upcoming drugs may disappoint many sufferers of the disorder.

Current OCD therapeutics options leave a lot to be desired, as, although several approved options are relatively safe and effective when used over time, all available drugs show high relapse rates of OCD after treatment is discontinued. Approved treatments currently include Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), which are more commonly known as antidepressants, and are also used as the first line of treatment for OCD patients.