Abilify Maintena cuts hospitalization rates for patients with schizophrenia vs oral antipsychotics

7 April 2014

Danish CNS drug specialist Lundbeck (LUN: CO) and partner Japanese drugmaker Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (TYO: 4768) today announced positive results from the final analysis of a mirror-image study with Abilify Maintena (aripiprazole).

This showed statistically significant reductions (p<0.0001) in total psychiatric hospitalization rates in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who were switched from oral antipsychotics to Abilify Maintena once-monthly 400mg - a prolonged-release suspension for intramuscular injection of aripiprazole.These findings were presented as a late breaker poster at the 4th Biennial Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) conference in Florence, Italy.

"Our ability to reduce the risk of relapse and rehospitalization is critical in facilitating improvement in psychosocial and vocational functioning. With each relapse patients can lose hard won gains and find it more and more difficult to progress towards recovery," said study investigator John Kane, chairman of psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, and vice president, Behavioral Health Services, North Shore-LIJ Health System.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK