The Inhibitors

The legion of the emotionally depressed had high hopes when iproniazid was found 18 months ago to be an effective treatment in many cases. But the hopes were dashed when it was reported that the drug caused too many dangerous side effects, notably liver damage (TIME, April 21). Since then, instead of being prescribed indiscriminately for office patients, iproniazid is being used so carefully that it appears to be no more dangerous than many another potent drug. It is used not only in psychiatry, but also for cancer patients when they know the end is near, and in some unrelated disorders where its apparent value is not fully understood, e.g., angina pectoris and rheumatoid arthritis. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (which markets iproniazid as Marsilid) and rival manufacturers have brought out drugs that are close chemical kin to iproniazid but with fewer drawbacks.

At a Manhattan conference on monoamine oxidase inhibitors, reseachers from several mental hospitals reported:

P: Catron, made by Milwaukee's Lakeside Laboratories, Inc. (still known in many hospitals as JB-516), works faster than iproniazid in smaller doses, and appears effective in the liard to treat depression of children and adolescents.

P: Phenelzine, made by New Jersey's Warner-Chilcott Laboratories (W-1544), gives depressed patients new energy, makes them more outgoing and sociable.

P: Ro 5-0700, made by New Jersey's Hoffmann-La Roche, also shows roughly the same activity as iproniazid, but with fewer and milder undesirable effects.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.