France Has the Highest
Percentage of Patients Suffering from Depression and Anxiety,
According to New NOP World Health Research
EAST HANOVER, N.J., June 22, 2004 - PRNewswire
You France has the highest proportion of patients suffering from both
depression and anxiety, according to NOP World Health's new Western European
Depression and Anxiety Physician Study. More than three-quarters of French
depression patients (76%) also suffer from some form of anxiety, as opposed
to 72% of Spanish patients ... 59% of Italian and British patients ... and
46% of German patients. These new findings reinforce earlier research
results, showing that anxiety seems to be under-recognized in Germany. On
average, in Europe, 62% of depression patients show symptoms of anxiety
disorders. This is comparable to the US, where 60% of depression patients
also suffer from anxiety. Overall, depression and anxiety are very prevalent
throughout Western Europe, with one in five Europeans affected. Many
sufferers are undiagnosed, however -- and even those who are diagnosed are
often not treated with prescription medications. This continues to be true,
in spite of the fact that many established depression and anxiety therapies
are available in Europe -- several in generic form or recently re-launched
with new formulations.
Depression Is Most Severe in France, Germany and the US In France and
Germany, 41% of depression patients suffer from moderate to severe symptoms.
In contrast, just 37% of UK patients and 33% of Spanish and Italian patients
show signs of moderate to severe depression. Overall, 37% of Western
European depression patients fall into the
moderate or severe category. This is a far lower portion than the US, where
42% of depression sufferers are classified as moderate to severe.
Therapeutic Patterns and Awareness Vary Western European treatment patterns
vary from the US. For moderate to
severely depressed patients without anxiety, 65% of Western European
physicians first use mono-therapy, while 87% of US doctors opt for
single-drug treatment as a first-line therapy. There are significant
differences among Western European physicians, however, depending on the
countries in which they practice. For instance, in the UK, 93% of doctors
turn to mono-therapies first, with only 7% choosing combination therapies.
In contrast, just 48% of physicians in Italy use mono-therapy as a
first-line treatment, with 49% selecting two- or three-drug combinations.
The biggest difference between Western European doctors and their US
counterparts appears to be in product awareness levels, particularly for
investigational agents. For example, just 13% of Western European physicians
are aware of duloxetine, while more than half of US physicians --51% -- know
about it. Awareness levels are lowest in France, where they stand at just
4%. Even in Italy, however -- the country with the highest awareness -- just
24%
of doctors are aware of duloxetine, less than half of the US levels. In
part, the differences in awareness of duloxetine can be explained by
differences in launch plans for the US and European markets. In the US,
Lilly plans to launch duloxetine for depression first -- and then introduce
it for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) a year or so later. In Europe,
however, Lilly has first submitted duloxetine to the European Medicines
Agency for approval in SUI. The dramatic differences in awareness between US
and European physicians, however, suggest other forces, such as
communication issues, are also at play -- and the result may be untapped
potential in the European markets. "The lower awareness levels of Western
European doctors, particularly for pipeline agents, may point to new
opportunities for pharmaceutical manufacturers," says Keith Loehlein, Senior
Vice President of Assessment and Tracking for NOP World Health. "The lower
awareness may be tied to the lower prescribing rates for Western European
physicians. It points to the need for pharmaceutical companies to
communicate more actively with European physicians and to find the messages
and media that resonate with this audience. "Clearly, there is a large
market for anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs in the major Western
European nations that is not being fully tapped. Our new study, which also
looks at unmet market needs and opportunities, as well as at product
positioning and use, can help pharmaceutical marketers reach physicians
treating depression and anxiety patients and ensure these patients are
getting the therapies they need."
600 Physicians Provide Input on Market Needs, Prescribing Patterns and
Disease Management Practices Fielded in January and February 2004, NOP World
Health's Western European Depression and Anxiety Physician Study is based on
in-depth face-to-face interviews with 600 physicians in France, Germany,
Italy, Spain and the UK. The sample includes 70 generalists and 50
psychiatrists per country. Information in the Western European study is
analyzed both within each individual country and across all countries. It is
also presented for both total physicians and by individual specialty group.