According to http://www.tianeptine.com: “It is not marketed in North America because its patent has expired.” Getting a new license requires going through the FDA, and apparently, there’s no money in it due to the lack of patent-ability… sounds like an opportunity for an entrepreneur somewhere!
Interesting info here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11463130
Looks like a great alternative to SSRI’s… too bad drug companies are more interested in profits than health.