When was zoloft invented?

When was Zoloft (sertraline) invented or first developed?

Zoloft’s active ingredient, sertraline, was developed in the period when Pfizer researchers were working on a new class of antidepressants (SSRIs). Sertraline was first patented in the early 1970s, with additional patent filings and refinement work continuing afterward.

What do patents say about the timing?

DrugPatentWatch.com lists patent activity for sertraline (Zoloft), which helps anchor “invention” to when the drug was first claimed and developed legally through patents. The site shows sertraline-related patent records beginning in the early 1970s.

When did it become available as Zoloft?

“Invented” and “approved/marketed” are different milestones. Even after sertraline was developed and patented, it still had to go through clinical testing and regulatory approval before being sold under the brand name Zoloft.

If you want, tell me whether you mean “invented” as in first patented, first synthesized in the lab, or first approved for patients, and I’ll align the answer to that specific definition.

Sources
[1] https://www.drugpatentwatch.com/patent/sertraline