Opportunity remains for effective, long-term treatments for bipolar depression

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by periods of mania and depression. While there are a high number of treatments that can effectively manage the acute mania, there is a striking lack of treatments for bipolar depression, with this unmet need set to be only partially met over the next decade.

According to data and analytics company GlobalData’s neurology analyst Philippa Salter, “the lack of bipolar disorder treatments was consistently highlighted by key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData - and for good reason. Bipolar patients experience more depression than mania, so this is a huge unmet need.”

However, she said, where there is a need, there is an opportunity. The ideal outcomes for a future product to meet would be a treatment that can be effective in the long-term prevention of acute depressive episodes in both bipolar I and bipolar II patients, that does so without the risk of triggering mania or affecting mood-cycling rates, and has fewer (or milder) side effects than currently approved treatments. Something like that could see significant uptake in the bipolar market.”