Abilify delays bipolar I relapse for up to two years

US drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb and Japan's Otsuka Pharmaceutical say that their co-developed atypical antipsychotic Abilify (aripiprazole), after nearly two years of treatment, significantly delayed time-to-relapse in adults with bipolar I disorder who had a recent manic or mixed episode and were then stabilized with the medication for at least six weeks, according to findings published in the December supplement to Neuropsychopharmacology.

"These findings are important because they support existing Abilify data for delaying the recurrence of mood symptoms," said Roger McIntyre, associate professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto. "In fact, a recent study showed that nearly 50% of individuals who responded to initial treatment had relapses within two years, underscoring the importance of long-term maintenance treatment," he added. The results are from the longest double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study reported to date investigating the treatment of bipolar I disorder with Abilify, the companies noted.