Mianserin: result of a decade of antidepressant research.

Mianserin is a new tetracyclic compound being the active principle of the antidepressant drug Tolvon. Originally synthesized as an antiallergic, the discovery of the antidepressant activity of mianserin was serendipitous. This review describes the historical development of mianserin as the first representative of a second generation of antidepressants. A summary is given of the clinical trials performed leading to a therapeutic profile of an antidepressant of similar efficacy as tricyclic products, however, with fewer and less severe side effects. Unlike tricyclic products mianserin lacks cardiotoxicity resulting in a superior safety also in overdosage.