Date: {{$ActivityAssignDate}}

Dear Dr. {{ $doctorName }},

Subject : A survey to assess the usage pattern of etifoxine in the management of anxiety in India

Anxiety disorders (ADs) are among the most common psychiatric illnesses that impact the quality of life and functioning and productivity of an individual and thereby loss of national income. As per National Mental Health Survey estimated about 3.5% of India’s population suffered from some form of stress or anxiety-related disorder.¹ Patients experience of anxiety typically has two components namely physical component (Nervousness, worry, fear, irritability, insecurity, isolation from others) and emotional component (Headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, trembling, stomach pain, ulcers, diarrhea, tingling, weakness, body ache, feeling shortness of breath, hot flashes or chills, increased blood pressure and heart rate) which affect the cognitive processes of the individual²

Recent guidelines recommend SSRI and SRNI as first-line treatments, but there is latency of several weeks for the effect of antidepressants to begin. Benzodiazepines have high prescription rate but significant adverse effects like sedation, cognitive alterations, risk of abuse, and dependency.³ Etifoxine is a non-benzodiazepine drug of the benzoxazine family with anxiolytic effects. Etifoxine preferentially acts on GABAA receptors containing the β2 or β3 subunit, in addition to a modulating action on the effect of neuro-steroids in the same receptor. Several randomized studies have shown that etifoxine, compared with benzodiazepines, have fewer side effects and have similar or better effects on anxiety symptoms and clinical improvement. Also, it has the important advantage of not being related to withdrawal symptoms and dependence.3Comparitive study with alprazolam, etifoxine presents a greater decrease in anxiety symptoms after discontinuing treatment, a similar degree of clinical improvement and fewer side effects due to anxious symptomatology at 35 days of treatment.⁴

This survey has been undertaken to understand the usage pattern of etifoxine in the management of anxiety in India.

As you will be spending some extra time to give your feedback on the questionnaire based on your clinical experience, we offer to pay you by cheque a professional fee of Rs {{$contractAmount}}, on receiving the completed Survey Questionnaire Form from you.

We trust you and we are partners in promoting effective drug therapy. In that spirit we hope you will consent to participate in this survey. If you do, please sign and return the enclosed reply along with your visiting card for accuracy of records.