WHO predicts that by 2020, depression will probably become the second largest disease next to cardio-cerebrovascular disease. Every year, the suicide death toll of depression around the world is up to 1 million people and the amount of depression patients in China has reached 90 million. At present, the recognition rate of depression in our country is only 30% and the identified patients seeking medical advice is also 30%, which means less than 10% of the depressive patients were likely to utilize medical service. Clinical experience shows that 80% of the patients can achieve clinical cure, if having standard treatment, expect very few patients with refractory type, others will be improvement.
Original antidepressants Fluoxetine produced by Eli Lilly and Company was approved for the treatment of depression first in Belgium in 1986.

Fluoxetine is a kind of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants and its medicinal form is Fluoxetine hydrochloride. Eli Lilly and Company named their products "the optimal solution" (Prozac) which is used for the treatment of adult depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and neurological bulimia in clinical practice as well as panic disorder with or without agoraphobe. At the end of 1987, Fluoxetine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enter American market, and it entered the Chinese market on March 30, 1995. Eli Lilly and Company’s patent for Prozac expired in August of 2001, since then there have appeared a large number of Fluoxetine drugs on the market.

There is a broad demand market of Fluoxetine in China. From 2010 to 2014, according to CRI’s survey on sample hospitals, CAGR of Fluoxetine is up to 9.68%. Eli Lilly and Company (Spain), Eli Lilly and Company (Britain), Patheon (FR), Shanghai Zhongxi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Changzhou Siyao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, SCCPC, WATSON Pharmaceuticals (Changzhou) Co., Ltd and Shanxi C&Y Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. occupy large portion in the sales market. Measured by sales value, Lilly (Spain) enjoyed the highest market share, which reached 75% in 2014.

In China, with many people bearing a proliferation of pressure from life, learning and work, the amount of depressive patients will also present an increasing tendency. In conclusion, there exists huge potential in Chinese market demand for Fluoxetine.