6.1. Pharmacological properties

Vilazodone is an indolalkylamine with a dual mechanism of action which consists of 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist and SSRI activity. It does not bind to the norepinephrine or dopamine reuptake sites with the same high affinity [81, 83].

The most prevalent out of the 14 different structurally distinct types of 5-HT receptors in the brain is 5-HT1A, which is localized especially in the raphe nuclei (presynaptic), the hippocampus, the frontal cortex, the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, the lateral septum, and the amygdala (postsynaptic). Presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors exhibit a key role in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. According to Sahli et al., vilazodone is 60 times more selective for the 5-HT1A receptor than buspirone (the only 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist approved as an antidepressant) and has a SSRI activity 30 times more potent than fluoxetine (the first SSRI approved by FDA for MDD therapy) [83].

The drug is available as tablets for oral administration which contain vilazodone hydrochloride (Table 6).
