Abilify Maintena reduces hospitalisation rates for Schizophrenia patients- Lundbeck + Otsuka

H. Lundbeck A/S and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd. announced results from the final analysis of a mirror-image study showing statistically significant reductions (p<0.0001) in total psychiatric hospitalisation rates in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who were switched from oral antipsychotics to abilify maintena once-monthly 400 mg � 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 on april 5�9.>

In this multi-centre, open-label, North-American mirror-image study, patients with Schizophrenia who had been treated with oral antipsychotics as standard of care, were switched to Abilify Maintena once-monthly 400 mg and followed for 6 months in a naturalistic community setting. The results from the Abilify Maintena treatment period were compared retrospectively with the treatment period on oral antipsychotics prior to the switch in the same patients and setting. The study primary endpoint showed that Abilify Maintena once-monthly 400 mg significantly reduced the rates of psychiatric hospitalisation by 10-fold during the last three months versus prior oral antipsychotic [2.7 percent (n=9/336) vs 27.1 percent (n=91/336) respectively, p<0.0001]. abilify maintena once-monthly 400 mg also significantly reduced the rates of psychiatric hospitalisations at six months compared with prior oral antipsychotics (8.8 percent [n="9/336]" vs 38.1 percent [n="91/336]" respectively, p><0.0001). the study found abilify maintena once-monthly 400 mg to be well tolerated, consistent with previously reported treatment emergent adverse events with oral abilify. the most common treatment emergent adverse events with greater than five percent incidence observed during the prospective treatment period with abilify maintena were insomnia (6.7 percent), and akathisia (6.5 percent).>