The efficacy, safety, and adverse events of azapirones in anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of…
This drug helped generalized anxiety but not panic attacks in trials — which of those are we actually treating in my case?
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Several authors disclosed speaker fees and grants from pharmaceutical companies (Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Angelini, and others).
Across 70 randomized trials, buspirone-type drugs beat placebo for generalized anxiety (2,567 patients in that comparison; about 1.6 times the placebo response rate) with less sedation than benzodiazepines, but showed no benefit in panic disorder or social anxiety.
Worth asking
This drug helped generalized anxiety but not panic attacks in trials — which of those are we actually treating in my case?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety
Source
The efficacy, safety, and adverse events of azapirones in anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials — Rossano F, et al. (2023)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.07.008
DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.07.008
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- not recorded
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 67 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Several authors disclosed speaker fees and grants from pharmaceutical companies (Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Angelini, and others). The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
The efficacy, safety, and adverse events of azapirones in anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials — Rossano F, et al. (2023). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.07.008. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Funding not disclosed. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is buspirone (Buspar), buspar FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.