Eli Lilly's Prozac® was approved by the FDA on 29th December 1987 and introduced in the US at the beginning of 1988. The drug became very popular, with millions around the world having taken the medication. However, in late 2001, Eli Lilly lost a patent dispute with Barr Laboratories and now fluoxetine hydrochloride is manufactured by several pharmaceutical companies. The popularity and selling success of Prozac® has been aided greatly by Lilly's extensive marketing campaign for the drug, considered one of the most successful in the history of American pharmaceuticals.

Fluoxetine hydrochloride is approved in the United States to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia-nervosa, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and panic disorder. In the United Kingdom, it is approved to treat depression with or without anxiety, bulimia nervosa, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In December 2003 the FDA approved Symbyax® to treat bipolar depression. Symbyax® is a combination of fluoxetine and olanzapine. (In bipolar patients, the pure form of fluoxetine can cause mania, rapid cycling and psychosis, particularly if the patient is not also taking a mood stabilizer.)

Please visit the official site of the FDA for further information.

 

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