On June 16th 2008, the Food and Drug Administration of America announced that Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl), made by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), is the second drug to be approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Madelaine Wohlreich, M.D., medical advisor and research physician at Lilly said:

"The approval of Cymbalta is important because it provides physicians and patients with a new treatment option shown to help reduce pain and improve functioning in this difficult-to-treat disorder,"

Cymbalta is a serotonin- norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor which has been found to reduce pain in fibromyalgia patients. It does this by increasing the activity of seratonin and norepinephrin which, research suggests, are part of the body’s natural pain suppressing system.

Lilly carried out two, three month, clinical trials during which just over 50% of patients reported an improvement in pain levels and approximately 65% of patients felt better at the end of the trials.

As with all drugs used for fibromyalgia it doesn’t work for everyone also the following side effects were recorded during its trials: nausea (29 percent), dry mouth (18 percent), constipation (15 percent), decreased appetite (11 percent), sleepiness (11 percent), increased sweating (7 percent) and agitation (6 percent). It can also cause fainting and dizziness on standing.

You can find more information on Cymbalta, including prescription information here

Full press release from Lilly can be found here