Oxymoron Alert: Depression Hope

Almost by definition people fighting depression don't get good news very often. However according to a recent Wall Street Journal article (link may require fee)the so-called "big pharma" appear to finally be making some progress in treating depression.

Even though depression drugs are a big business (affecting 1 in 10 adult Americans each year and generating drug sales of over $12 billion), it is a difficult condition to develop drugs for. First, the biology of depression isn't well understood very well and animal testing can only go so far (try asking a mouse if they are feeling better).

In fact the majority of anti-depressants on the market all function the same way by focusing on a relatively small group of neurotransmitters and even that was the result of a chance discovery in the 50's while researchers were investigating tuberculosis.

One new area being looked at for drugs involves stress suppression. "Researchers now believe that excess cortisol can predispose people to depression by damaging nerve-cell connections and suppressing nerve growth." Another stress-related drug is attacking the overactive response that is thought to exist in some depressed patients.

Yet another approach under development is to treat depression as a form of pain ("emotional pain"). The new drugs are working on the receptor that is involved in the transmission of pain messages.

Even nicotine patches are being looked at. "Just as the nicotine in tobacco can improve a smoker's mood, a nicotine patch can make depressed patients feel better. The idea behind the drug is that blocking the brain's nicotinic receptors will control mood fluctuations."

There is no guarantee that these drugs will successfully make it to market however in the words of one researcher, "If even one of these novel drugs makes it to the market, it would be a breath of fresh air for the field."

Cynics will note that because many of these drugs have been on the market for so long they are in danger of losing patent protection causing the big drug companies to scramble to create new, protectable, anti-depression drugs.

Yes, there is hope for the depressed. Now we just need to get them to believe it.