Canadian Physicians Attitudes Toward "Depression" and Current Treatment Options

Toronto, ON - The results of an Ipsos-Reid/Organon Canada survey of 200 Canadian General Practitioners indicates that only 11 percent of GPs are "completely" satisfied with currently available medications to treat depression. While almost two-thirds (62%) are "somewhat" satisfied, there were specific concerns expressed in terms of efficacy, in particular, the slow onset of action (50% of those expressing low satisfaction) and overall side effect profiles (22% of those expressing low satisfaction). Specific side effects mentioned included sexual dysfunction (17%), anxiety/agitation (12%), insomnia (9%) and nausea/vomiting (8%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid survey, sponsored by Organon Canada, conducted in April, 2001. The survey is based on a randomly selected sample of 200 Canadian General Practitioners across Canada who are in active clinical practice. With a sample of this size the results are accurate to within +6.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been if the entire population of General Practitioners had been surveyed. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

Just Under Three-Quarters Of GPs (72%) Indicate that Antidepressant Medications Need To Improve in Providing a Faster Onset of Therapeutic Effect

Physicians were asked to indicate what specific product features they would improve for antidepressant medications1. Of the product features presented, faster onset of therapeutic effect and faster onset of symptom relief rated the highest in terms of needed improvement (72% and 74% of GPs respectively rating a 4 or 5).

Other product features needing less improvement overall included:

• Stronger efficacy in all types of depression including severe depression (63% of physicians)
• Improved tolerability (55% of physicians)
• Positive effect on sleep (49% of physicians)
• Lack of drug interactions (48% of physicians)
• Better anxiolytic effects (44% of physicians)

The Most Important Outcomes GPs Use When Assessing the Effectiveness of Antidepressant Medications Include Increased Patient Functioning, Elevated Mood and Improved Sleep

Physicians were asked to rate a series of outcomes in terms of its importance in their assessment of the effectiveness of antidepressant medications. Among those presented, the most important outcomes included increased patient functioning, elevated mood and improved sleep. Other important outcomes included rapid reduction in anxiety symptoms and fast onset of action. Overall improvement in appetite was only moderately important in assessing effectiveness.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Karen Walker
Vice-President
Healthcare
Ipsos-Reid Corporation
(416) 324-2900