In a double-blind study on 38 unselected depressive inpatients (19 per group) suffering from endogenous and psychogenic depression, oxaprotiline, a new tetracyclic compound, a hydroxilized maprotiline with a highly selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibition, was compared with clomipramine over a period of 28 days in a daily dosage of 150 mg. Both drugs were found to be approximately equivalent and with no significant differences due to the overall assessment of the reduction of depression severity and amelioration of goal symptoms. This was also reflected in the results of the Hamilton Depression Scale and the self-rating scales for depression (SDS, Bf-S, ESTA).