Data from the 236-patient trial, which lasted 13 weeks and  compared the effectiveness of Cymbalta with placebos, were  presented at the annual congress of the European Federation of  Neurological Societies in Madrid. Lilly said 31 percent of patients taking Cymbalta  experienced a 50 percent reduction in pain, as measured by a  standard pain scale, compared with 19 percent of  placebo-treated patients. But significantly more patients taking Cymbalta dropped out  of the trial because of side effects, which included nausea,  dry mouth, fatigue, diarrhea, excessive sweating, dizziness and  constipation. Lilly said side effects were similar to those seen in  previous trials of Cymbalta for other conditions. Global second-quarter sales of Cymbalta, one of Lilly’s  biggest products, jumped 26 percent to $654 million, helped by  its other approved uses to treat fibromyalgia and generalized  anxiety disorder. The drug works by maximizing the presence of two messenger  chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine.
Lilly depression drug eases back pain in study.