Duloxetine versus paroxetine in the treatment of major depressive disorder:a randomized double-blind multicentre controlled study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of duloxetine in comparison with paroxetine in patients who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual fourth edition(DSM-IV) criteria of major depressive disorder.Methods: A randomized,double-blind,controlled multicentre clinical trial was conducted.All subjects(n=244) were treated with either duloxetine 60 mg·d-1(n=121) or paroxetine 20 mg·d-1(n=123) for 8 weeks.The main efficacy measure was the change in total score of the Hamilton Depression Scale 17 item(HAMD17) from baseline to endpoint.Results: The response rates were 71.1%(duloxetine) and 71.5%(paroxetine).There were no significant differences between 2 groups.The efficacy of duloxetine was non-inferiority of paroxetine's in treatment of MDD.There were significantly higher adverse events in the duloxetine group(75.0%) than in the paroxetine group(62.3%,P=0.038 1).Conclusion: Duloxetine and paroxetine have similar therapeutic effect in treatment of patients with major depressive disorder,but duloxetine causes more adverse events.