Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

CLDA—Is the lower rate of sexual dysfunction even in Vilazodone's label?

No, it’s not in the FDA label because there are no hard data that Vilazodone does in fact have a lower rate of sexual side effects than other antidepressants. To the contrary, I would be willing to bet that, if randomized head-to-head studies were done, Vilazodone would show a higher rate of sexual side effects than Zoloft or Wellbutrin (although the rate would probably be lower than for Prozac or Paxil).

A significant drawback of Vilazodone it that it causes sufficient G/I problems to require an awkward 2-week titration schedule before patients can reach the recommended dose.

Moreover, Vilazodone has a black-box warning for suicidality, which is not exactly going to encourage physicians to try something new in lieu of generic antidepressants that have been around for two decades.

In summary, Vilazodone is a mediocre drug similar to Serzone and Trazodone that was dumped by two large drug companies before CLDA picked it up. It has little or no chance to become a big-selling drug, IMO, but it has become the pump du jour on certain biotech message boards.

For biotech investors with extra buying power in their margin accounts, CLDA is probably worth investigating as a short sale.