NEW YORK, Oct 07 (Reuters Health) -- The drug manufacturer Eli Lilly and Co., based in Indianapolis, Indiana, announced on Thursday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for the use of Prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride) in the treatment of geriatric depression, making it the first antidepressant for use in both adult and geriatric populations.
The approval follows a 1997 FDA ruling ordering all medications to include a "geriatric use" section in their labeling.
"Depression in the elderly is (an) illness that should be taken seriously by physicians, caretakers and sufferers," said Dr. John Hayes, medical director of Lilly US Neuroscience. "Depression is not a natural part of the aging process (and) should not be ignored by physicians or patients."
