Marketing of Prozac

Re “Exit Joe Camel, but Here Comes Joe Prozac,” Commentary, July 21: Arianna Huffington would be shocked to know how many of her friends could not function without the use of antidepressants. No one who is required to take these or any other medicines does so because it is easier. They do so because that is what it takes to function. May God keep Huffington from ever losing the ability to form a sentence; to be able to get out of bed--no matter how much her kids need her; to be unable to stay awake or go to sleep at all. She would never deny a diabetic insulin; yet depression is a physical illness caused by a lack of neuro-chemicals as vital to human life as is insulin.

Huffington needs to realize that not all of life is perfect and some people have imperfections in their chemical makeup.

CLAUDIA SATORI CARROLL

Sacramento

* Regarding prescribing antidepressants to children, I have to ask whether children’s doctors in this nation have ever pondered why their colleagues in Europe and other developed countries do not encounter the pediatric brain chemistry abnormalities, such as the mysterious Attention Deficit Disorder, that seem epidemic in America? Has it, maybe, something to do with the sound of cash registers?

SHANNON CREAM

Chino Hills

* The column by Huffington regarding the educational advertising campaign for Prozac is an outrage to the millions of American who suffer from depression. The piece contains more misinformation than Eli Lilly and Co. could possibly address in one letter, but we’re compelled to make at least a few points.

* First, the Prozac advertising campaign was designed by adults--for adults. The words and images depicted in the advertising are based on discussions with hundreds of adult sufferers of depression--a debilitating and all-too-often fatal illness.

* Eli Lilly and Co. has not filed for FDA clearance of Prozac for pediatric depression. Instead, Lilly complied with an FDA request calling for all pharmaceutical companies to submit updated pediatric data for a variety of medications.

* Prozac is not approved for use in children and adolescents--nor will it be any time soon. The FDA has asked Lilly to submit more data regarding Prozac’s use in these populations.

* A mint-flavored, liquid version of Prozac has been available for more than six years. It was designed for adults who prefer liquid medicine over pills. Older patients, in particular, often have trouble swallowing pills, and the flavoring simply makes the medication more palatable.

Depression is an illness, just like heart disease or diabetes. It robs many people and their families of normal, productive lives. Anyone who has been touched by this illness can easily distinguish life’s normal ups and downs from the ravages of clinical depression. Huffington’s column belittles those who suffer from depression and adds to the stigma that keeps people from taking the first step toward recovery: seeing their doctor.

STEVEN M. PAUL MD

Vice President

Lilly Research Laboratories

Indianapolis