Drug approved for range of ailments

Indianapolis -- Cymbalta has been racking up U.S. government approvals for a variety of uses since it was introduced as an anti-depressant in 2004, healthcare analysts say.

Among other things, the medication has gained U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture approval for anxiety, depression, nerve pain and fibromyalgia, the Indianapolis Star reported Sunday.

On the market for less than four years, it has generated billions of dollars for Eli Lilly and Co., a pharmaceutical company based in Indianapolis.

The company recently asked the FDA to approve Cymbalta for the treatment of chronic knee and low back pain.

"The first and foremost thing a drug company wants to do is find new uses for existing drugs," said Steven Findlay, a healthcare analyst at Consumers Union and managing editor of Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs. "If you can expand a drug into another market, you stand to make a lot of money."

Having the medication approved for multiple uses helps shore up the company's revenue stream, since many of its top revenue-producing drugs will lose their patent protections beginning in 2011.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.