AstraZeneca’s Seroquel XR recommended for use in Europe to treat some depression

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Astra drug wins EU approval for depression use

LONDON — Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC says its schizophrenia drug Seroquel XR has been recommended by European regulators as an add-on treatment for depression.

Friday’s decision from the European Medicines Agency overturns an earlier rejection for the drug’s new use from the Netherlands, which was acting as a reference state for the EU. It is also in line with approval granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December.

The agency says the drug could help patients with major depressive disorder who have had insufficient response to treatment with other antidepressants.

Seroquel XR, an extended release version of AstraZeneca’s original blockbuster medicine Seroquel, is already used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.