The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new antidepressant to treat major depressive disorders. Vilazodone hydrochloride, marketed as Viibryd, is another medication the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Others in the class include Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, Celexa and Prozac.

But Viibryd offers something new. It is an SSRI with 5-HT1A partial agonistic properties. The antidepressant add-on Abilfy is a 5-HT1A partial agonistic, which suggests Viibryd is a two-in-one drug.

When Viibryd enters the market, it will carry the same warnings as other SSRIs, including risks of suicide, abnormal bleeding, seizures, and activation of mania or hypomania. Serotonin syndrome has also been associated with the drug, and can result in tremors, agitation, sweating, hyperthermia, coma and death.

Viibryd will likely be classified as a Category C pregnancy drug, meaning there have been no studies to determine whether the drug causes birth defects if taken during pregnancy. All SSRIs are classified as Category C drugs except Paxil, which is listed as a Category D drug because studies have positively linked use during pregnancy to birth defects.

While other SSRIs have yet to be reclassified as Category D drugs, more and more studies are showing a link between use during pregnancy and birth defects of the brain and spine, heart, and lungs. Other studies have linked SSRI use to developmental delays, learning disabilities and autism in children. The drugs have also been associated with high blood pressure in pregnant mothers, which can be life threatening to both the mother and her unborn child.

Viibryd was approved in 10, 20 and 40 milligram tablet doses.

Source: Medical Daily

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