Multicentric efficacy study of centpropazine and imipramine in depressed patients

Centpropazine is a new antidepressant with minimal anticholinergic effects in preclinical animal models. In this study centpropazine has been compared with imipramine in a double blind randomized multicentric study. A total of 159 patients of major depressive disorder (79 in centpropazine group and 80 in imipramine group) from four centres were included in this trial. Each patient was randomised to receive either centpropazine in a dose of 40 to 120 mg per day or imipramine in a dose of 50 to 150 mg per day for a period of six weeks. The antidepressant efficacy of centpropazine was comparable to imipramine but anticholinergic side effects were four times less than imipramine. This establishes centpropazine as an effective antidepressant with remarkably safer tolerability profile.