Are there any differences in the safety and efficacy of brofaromine and imipramine between non-elderly and elderly patients with major depression?

There is a rather limited database of controlled clinical trials on the comparative effects of antidepressants in elderly and non-elderly depressed patients. A common finding is reduced efficacy and an increased incidence of side effects. To further examine the question of efficacy and safety of antidepressant drugs in elderly versus non-elderly patients, the differential effects of a new selective type A monoamine oxidase inhibitor brofaromine, and the classical tricyclic imipramine were investigated using the data of two recently published trials. We found no major difference between non-elderly and elderly depressed patients as concerns efficacy, total incidence of adverse findings or safety parameters such as laboratory values and heart rate. These results are discussed in the light of some methodological questions and previous reports.