UK's NICE backs Abilify for teenagers; sticks with guidance on Servier's Protelos

In final guidance published yesterday, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended Abilify (aripiprazole), from US drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY and Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (4768: JP) as an option for the treatment of schizophrenia in people aged 15 to 17 years who are intolerant of risperidone, or for whom risperidone is contraindicated, or whose schizophrenia has not been adequately controlled with risperidone.

Carole Longson, Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director at the NICE, said: “Young people diagnosed with schizophrenia are usually treated with atypical antipsychotics at a low dose and are closely monitored. The choice of treatment depends on a number of factors (including adverse events associated with the treatment, previous treatments the person has received and the responses to them, and adverse events experienced while on those treatments), and risperidone is currently the most widely used first-line antipsychotic treatment. The Committee felt that people who were unable to take risperidone may benefit from aripiprazole. We are pleased to be able to recommend another treatment option for young people with this debilitating condition which will help them with schizophrenia have greater control over their condition and support them in returning to previous normal functioning in terms of attending school or work.”

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