A Comparative Trial of Two Formulations of Clomipramine

Abstract

In a multi-centre clinical trial comparing two formulations of Clomipramine (Anafranil® Geigy) thirty General Practitioners provided two hundred and seven patients. One hundred and forty nine patients completed the study. No difference was found between a capsule and a tablet formulation in terms of tolerance and efficacy. Using a clinical rating scale the total score for twelve symptoms fell from a mean of 18 .2 to 5.5 and 6.0 in the capsule and tablet groups respectively. By recording the presence of symptoms subsequently to be regarded as side effects before admission to the trial many so called drug effects were found to be present before commencing treatment. The forty patients who dropped out of the trial because of intolerable side effects also failed to show any clinical improvement and appeared to constitute a separate group from those who completed the trial and who showed good clinical response in association with a diminishing number of side effects.