Clinical psychopharmacology in China: the last decade

Clinical psychopharmacological research has focused on several aspects in the last decade in China. First, attention was paid to new drug trials, mainly on newly developed or imported antidepressants or antipsychotics. More and more newly developed antidepressants like SSRI, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and citalopram are now available or under clinical observation. Second, studies on the relationship between blood level and clinical response of antidepressants, amitriptyline, or antipsychotics, haloperidol and clozapine were undertaken. Results on amitriptyline showed that the clinical antidepressive effect of the drug was correlated linearly to the parent compound, amitriptyline, and curvilinearly to the hydroxylated metabolite, 10-hydroxynortryptyline. It was found that the plasma level of haloperidol correlated curvilinearly to the clinical antipsychotic effect on schizophrenics with a therapeutic window ranging between 4.2 and 20 ng/mL. Third, pharmacokinetic studies on antidepressants, amitriptyline, imipramine, and maprotiline were undertaken. The results showed longer clearance rate and/or t(1/2) in Chinese literature than those reported in Western literature.