Escitalopram in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder

Abstract

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, distressing illness that is associated with a specific and unique response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Escitalopram was granted marketing authorization for the treatment of OCD from the European authorities in 2007 based on results from two Phase-III clinical trials in patients with moderate-to-severe OCD. One, a relapse prevention study, demonstrated substantial efficacy of escitalopram 10–20 mg/day in both acute and maintenance treatment, and the other demonstrated superior efficacy and favorable tolerability of escitalopram compared with placebo during 24-week, double-blind treatment. These data, and other studies reviewed here, suggest that escitalopram is an important additional tool for the treatment of OCD.

Keywords::

• escitalopram
• maintenance treatment
• obsessive–compulsive disorder
• relapse prevention
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
• serotonin

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Professor Zohar is on the advisory board for Pfizer, Lundbeck, Sanofi-Aventis, Actelion, Teva and Servier; receives grant support from Pfizer, Lundbeck and Organon; and is on the speaker’s bureau for Wyeth, Solvay and Lundbeck. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.