Formulary restrictions on antidepressant medications undermine the effective management of depression and related disorders.

During the past decade, the evolution of pharmaceutical innovation has resulted in the development of a number of treatments for depression. A class of drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have become the dominant depression treatment. Thanks to incremental advancements in pharmaceutical innovation, a number of drugs within this therapeutic class are available, each with distinct properties.

A variety of SSRI medications have all been shown to be effective for treating depression, but studies also show that “no single antidepressant works for all individuals, for all forms of depression, for all situations or is superior in efficacy over all others within or between classes.” In fact, it has been demonstrated, conclusively, that patients who do not tolerate or respond to one SSRI can generally receive effective treatment with another. Success rates for switching from one SSRI to another range between 60 to 80 percent.

“Formulary restrictions to a single SSRI is ill-advised and counterproductive to healthcare management of major depression and related disorders…such restrictions may actually increase costs for our healthcare system”.