Lundbeck and Takeda's Brintellix shows positive results in Ph III major depression study

Danish CNS specialist Lundbeck (LUND: DC) and partner Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502), Japan’s largest drugmaker, are presenting new data on four pivotal studies on Brintellix (vortioxetine), a novel investigational drug, at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in San Francisco, taking place May 18-22, demonstrating efficacy at doses of 15mg and 20mg per day including an improvement of overall functioning.

The drug is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of major depression (The Pharma Letters October 13 and September 21, 2012). The FDA is expected to make a decision on October 2, and Lundbeck has said it expects to launch Brintellix in the USA in the fourth quarter of this year.

Sales of up to $3 billion projected