IMS Report " According to IMS figures, sales of antidepressants in the United States increased from approximately $424 million in 1987, the year prior to the introduction of Prozac, to approximately $9.6 billion in 2000.		Depression Depression is a disorder in which the affected person experiences a mental state of sadness, despair, discouragement, and hopelessness. Other symptoms may include apathy, withdrawal from social contact, an inability to experience pleasure, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, low energy levels, difficulty concentrating, and thoughts of suicide. Historically the emergence of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, has had a dramatic impact on the antidepressant market. SSRIs increase the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin only one of the neurotransmitters known to be linked to depression. Despite widespread commercial success, SSRIs suffer from the following limitations: 30%40% of patients do not experience an adequate therapeutic response; three or more weeks of therapy are often required before meaningful improvement is observed; and side effects such as nervousness, agitation, insomnia and sexual dysfunction have been documented. Beyond SSRIs, other antidepressants marketed include dual uptake inhibitors. Dual uptake inhibitors, like Effexor, block the uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. While more effective than SSRIs, dual uptake inhibitors have their own unique set of side effects, including nausea, headache, sleepiness, dry mouth and dizziness. No currently marketed antidepressants inhibit the uptake of all three neurotransmitters linked to depression. Both preclinical studies and clinical trials indicate that a drug inhibiting uptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine would be expected to produce a faster onset of action and greater efficacy than traditional antidepressants. We believe that such a broad spectrum antidepressant would represent a breakthrough in the treatment of depression.