Alkermes’s Aristada got Approval for Schizophrenia

FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved Alkermes’s (ALKS) injectable drug, Aristada (Aripiprazole Lauroxil), for patients suffering from schizophrenia.

The efficacy of Aristada was demonstrated in part by a 12-week clinical trial in 622 participants. In participants with acute schizophrenia who had been stabilized with oral aripiprazole, Aristada was found to maintain the treatment effect compared to a placebo.

Aristada and other atypical antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia have a Boxed Warning alerting health care professionals about an increased risk of death associated with the off-label use of these drugs to treat behavioral problems in older people with dementia-related psychosis. No drug in this class is approved to treat patients with dementia-related psychosis. Aristada must be dispensed with a patient Medication Guide that describes important information about the drug’s uses and risks.