New antidepressant aims to restore internal body clock

THE first drug in a new class of antidepressant could be particularly useful for people with mood disorder who have trouble sleeping, a leading psychiatrist says.

Valdoxan (agomelatine, Servier), which until earlier this year was only available through the Special Access Scheme, aims to restore healthy function to a person’s internal body clock.

Professor Ian Hickie, executive director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) at the University of Sydney, said Valdoxan, a melatonin receptor agonist and 5-HT2c receptor antagonist, acted