Wyeth expects provisional OK for Pristiq

Wyeth is signaling that the FDA is likely to extend tentative approval for Pristiq, an antidepressant, but that the agency is likely to ask for more data. The drug is a derivative of Effexor, a blockbuster that will lose patent protection in 2010. Ultimately, though, analysts believe that Pristiq's biggest potential may be for treating menopause. Antidepressants have proven effective in treating the symptoms of hot flashes without posing the risks now linked to hormone replacement therapy.

- read the report on Wyeth from the Philadelphia Inquirer