FDA approves antidepressant drug that may also treat incontinence

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new Eli Lilly antidepressant for adults, Cymbalta. It's expected to hit pharmacy shelves by late August. Notably, Lilly is studying the drug as a possible treatment for stress urinary incontinence.

Cymbalta, known chemically as duloxetine, is the first antidepressant to get approval since the FDA began intense investigations to uncover whether the drugs can increase the risk of suicide.

Cymbalta came into the spotlight in February when a college student taking part in a study of the drug hanged herself in a company research facility. Since then, the FDA studied Cymbalta, looking at suicidal behavior case-by-case, and found no difference in the rate between users of the drug and those given a placebo, according to the agency.

Cymbalta is approved to treat major depression for up to nine weeks.