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Cited by 414

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50 years of hurdles and hope in anxiolytic drug discovery

Open access
Griebel, Guy, Holmes, Andrew·2013·Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent group of psychiatric diseases, and have high personal and societal costs. The search for novel pharmacological treatments for these conditions is driven by the growing medical need to improve on the effectiveness and the side effect profile of existing drugs. A huge volume of data has been generated by anxiolytic drug discovery studies, which has led to the progression of numerous new molecules into clinical trials. However, the clinical outcome of these efforts has been disappointing, as promising results with novel agents in rodent studies have very rarely translated into effectiveness in humans. Here, we analyse the major trends from preclinical studies over the past 50 years conducted in the search for new drugs beyond those that target the prototypical anxiety-associated GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)–benzodiazepine system, which have focused most intensively on the serotonin, neuropeptide, glutamate and endocannabinoid systems. We highlight various key issues that may have hampered progress in the field, and offer recommendations for how anxiolytic drug discovery can be more effective in the future.

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Metadata

Authors
Griebel, G., & Holmes, A.
Venue
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Published
2013-08-30
Volume
12
Issue
9
Pages
667-687
ISSN
  • 1474-1776 (ISSN-L)
  • 1474-1784
OpenAlex
W1974420087
Cited by
414
References
284
FWCI
2.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
green

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Griebel, G., & Holmes, A. (2013). 50 years of hurdles and hope in anxiolytic drug discovery. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4075

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