Creation:
The history of Zoloft, dates back to the early 1970s. A scientist named Reinhard Sarges, an employee at Pfizer was working on the discovery of a new set of psychoactive compounds, "which eventually led him to the development of tametraline, a weak dopamine reuptake inhibitor." After a while scientists began noticing strange and unwanted side effects in the animals being used for tests, and figured the tametraline was not doing the trick.
In 1977, two men known as Kenneth Koe and Willard Welch also working at Pfizer did some other experiments with different forms of tametraline compounds (mixed tametraline and other drugs) leading them to find "a serotonin reuptake inhibitor" that would later be known as sertraline (Zoloft.) Scientists were happy with the results this new compound had on the lab animals and sertraline was officially on the scientists radar to be released.
"The scientists later commented that they had discovered the drug by accident, as they had not set out with the intention of finding an antidepressant." Ironically the same scientists working on this drug were actually planning on releasing an antidepressant at a later date but not under the Pfizer name and sertraline was not the drug they were planning on. "Sertraline underwent human trials and was approved by the FDA. It was released by Pfizer under the brand name Zoloft in 1991."
In 1977, two men known as Kenneth Koe and Willard Welch also working at Pfizer did some other experiments with different forms of tametraline compounds (mixed tametraline and other drugs) leading them to find "a serotonin reuptake inhibitor" that would later be known as sertraline (Zoloft.) Scientists were happy with the results this new compound had on the lab animals and sertraline was officially on the scientists radar to be released.
"The scientists later commented that they had discovered the drug by accident, as they had not set out with the intention of finding an antidepressant." Ironically the same scientists working on this drug were actually planning on releasing an antidepressant at a later date but not under the Pfizer name and sertraline was not the drug they were planning on. "Sertraline underwent human trials and was approved by the FDA. It was released by Pfizer under the brand name Zoloft in 1991."
Approvals and Revisions:
- Officially approved by the FDA in 1991
- In 2002, Zoloft was approved for use in children and teenagers under the age of 18 with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- In 2005, the FDA added a warning label to the drug advising of risks of suicidal behavior in children.
- In 2007, the drug warning label was revised once again to add a warning of suicidal behavior in young adults up to the age of 24.