Biovail Corp. said Friday Canadian health regulators have approved the use of its Wellbutrin XL antidepressant for the treatment of seasonal depression.

The company said the ruling marks the first time in Canada that a medication has received approval for this type of illness, which affects about 1.7 million Canadians each year and is often undiagnosed.

For the first nine months of 2007, Mississauga, Ont.-based Biovail reported Wellbutrin sales of $168 million US from outside Canada.