Lexapro Sales Stabilized By Lexapro Sales To Teens

In a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, Forest Labs' COO Larry Olanoff noted slightly decreased Lexapro sales and credited the drug's recent FDA approval for use in adolescents as helping to stabilize Lexapro's sales.

"Lexapro sales in the quarter totaled $566 million, a decline of 3.1% year-over-year. In March, we announced the FDA approval of our supplemental NDA for Lexapro, for the indication of acute and maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder in adolescence, 12 to 17 years of age. This additional indication is helping to stabilize the position of Lexapro in the market, and we have observed an increase in share for this patient population."

I've got no guess as to how many kids are on Lexapro, but it's well-known that the company has been charged by the feds with illegal off-label marketing of the drug for use in adolescents and with paying kickbacks to doctors, that a Harvard psychiatrist got $750,000 for helping them push Lexapro for kids and that the drug's FDA approval studies include two failed clinical trials (no advantage over placebo) and very limited efficacy in the two positive trials (one of which was actually done using Celexa, Lexapro's molecular big brother). Earlier this year, Forest set aside $170 million in expectation of a looming fine by the feds.

None of which came up during the conference call.