Depression: emerging research and treatment approaches. 16-17 January 2003, Paris, France

In contrast to the more conventional meeting structure of describing the progress from molecule to man, this meeting began by illustrating the breadth of the problem of unipolar depression. Several speakers presented data indicating that unipolar depression is now the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years(DALY) in the world. Following several presentations regarding the recent advances in understanding the pathology of depression, the progress of antidepressant therapy over the last half-century was reviewed. The difficulties encountered in demonstrating the antidepressant activity of new compounds was analyzed, as was the way in which the signal-to-noise ratio might be improved in clinical trials. New antidepressant drugs, which are expected to enter the market in the near future, were represented by the pentapeptide nemifitide (Innapharma Inc) and the 5-HT 1B, receptor antagonist AR-A2 (AstraZeneca plc). The more distant future was envisaged by discussion of the problems and promises of genomic techniques in the discovery of new drug targets.