BUDAPEST, June 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Between the 4-7th of June 2022, during the 30th Annual Meeting of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), which was organized virtually, new analyses of cariprazine studies of schizophrenia were presented by Gedeon Richter Plc. In the oral communication by Professor Christoph U. Correll, it was shown that benzodiazepines had no additive effects to cariprazine's efficacy, neither on total symptoms, nor on hostility. Additionally, two scientific posters demonstrated that cariprazine is a promising treatment option for chronic schizophrenia patients, as well as for the treatment of affective symptoms in both schizophrenia and bipolar depression patients.
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by positive, negative, cognitive, and affective symptoms, affecting 1% of the population. Antipsychotics have been proven to be effective treatment of positive symptoms, nonetheless the management of negative, cognitive, and affective symptoms often remains challenge.
In his oral communication, Professor Correll presented new analysis on benzodiazepine use during cariprazine treatment, showing that cariprazine with and without benzodiazepine was significantly better than corresponding placebo in improving acute schizophrenia from baseline to Week 6, as shown by the reductions in the PANSS Total Score. In addition, cariprazine without benzodiazepines significantly outperformed corresponding placebo in improving hostility symptoms. Further findings imply that benzodiazepine-use is associated with a higher age, longer illness duration and a worse prognosis.
The potential of cariprazine in the treatment of chronic schizophrenia was investigated in patients who were either acute schizophrenia patients who had been suffering from the disorder for at least 15 years (i.e., late-stage schizophrenia patients), or patients with predominant negative symptoms ([PNS] i.e., residual patients). According to the results shown on a poster, cariprazine demonstrated superiority over placebo in the treatment of late-stage schizophrenia, and produced numerically greater improvements compared to risperidone in the residual PNS patient population.
Patients from schizophrenia and bipolar depression studies were included in the analyses investigating cariprazine's potential in improving depressive symptoms. Results – also demonstrated on a poster – revealed that cariprazine significantly outperformed placebo in both schizophrenia and bipolar depression populations as shown by reductions in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (schizophrenia) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).
