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Citalopram in
the treatment of depressive disorders: An open label,
multicenter study in China
Tianmei Si and
Liang Shu
Department of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Peking University
Institute of Mental Health, Beijing 100083, China.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
si.tian-mei@163.com (T.M. Si). Tel: +86 10
82821948. Fax: +86 10 6202 7314.
Accepted 25 March 2008
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Results of randomized, placebo-controlled trials with the
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram suggest
that this agent is safe and effective for the treatment of
depressive disorders. We investigated the safety and
efficacy of citalopram in the treatment of Chinese patients
with depressive disorders. An 8-week, open-label,
multicenter study evaluated the safety and efficacy of
citalopram in the treatment of patients with an ICD-10
diagnosis of depressive disorder or depressive episode of
bipolar disorder. Efficacy measures included the Hamilton
Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and the Clinical Global
Impression (CGI). A total of 6080 patients (2553 men, 3527
women) (mean age 40.9 ± 15.6 years, range 18 – 92)
participated in the study. Mean HAMD scores decreased
significantly (p<0.001) after 2 weeks of treatment and at
all subsequent study visits. Endpoint analyses showed that
89.9% of the patients demonstrated a clinical response,
defined as a ≥50% reduction in HAMD scores. The mean daily
dose of citalopram at endpoint was 23.65 mg. Nausea (7.6%),
headache (3.7%) and dry mouth (2.9%) were the most
frequently reported adverse events. Patients with bipolar
depression and comorbid obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
received a higher mean daily dose (26.4 and 27.7 mg,
respectively), while patients with comorbid physical
disorders received a lower dose (21.9 mg) than patients with
simple depressive disorder. The results of this 8-week
open-label study suggest that citalopram is safe and
effective in the treatment of depression in Chinese
patients. Limitations is an open-label and uncontrolled.
Key words: Antidepressant, citalopram,
depression, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
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