Eli Lilly reported late last month that it has received conditional approval to market Cymbalta, a new drug for treating depression that would be a follow-up to Lilly's Prozac

Drug Store News, Oct 7, 2002

Eli Lilly reported late last month that it has received conditional approval to market Cymbalta, a new drug for treating depression that would be a follow-up to Lilly's Prozac. Prozac lost patent protection last year. Cymbalta enhances the levels of two neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, while more commonly used antidepressants only affect serotoriin.

Some observers estimate Cymbalta could achieve annual sales of $750 million m the peak years after its launch. Final approval of several Lilly drugs have been delayed because of manufacturing quality-control problems. Lilly expects an FDA ruling in the next few months on whether the problems at its Indianapolis facility have been resolved.