Antipsychotics > Article

You've probably heard about Fanapt (iloperidone) and Saphris (asenapine), two antipsychotics that have recently won FDA approval for the acute treatment of schizophrenia, and, in the case of Saphris, for the treatment of manic and mixed episodes of bipolar disorder. Are these more “me too”...

Few clinical trials have ever generated as much buzz as the series of trials known as CATIE. CATIE stands for “Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness,” and is the only set of trials ever done comparing the major second-generation antipsychotics. And because CATIE is funded entirely by NIMH, its results are thought to be quite trustworthy (NEJM 2005;353:1209-1223).

Janssen’s marketing team apparently missed the fact that the word in the English language that sounds most like “Invega” is “inveigle,” meaning “to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements” (www.dictionary.com). You may have already heard some “artful talk” from your Janssen reps, who are keen to have you convert your patients from Risperdal to Invega. Will you be doing your patients a favor by taking the plunge? Or will you simply be giving them the same wine in a fancier bottle?

You’ve probably heard about Fanapta (iloperidone), a new antipsychotic marketed by Vanda Pharmaceuticals. No, it hasn’t been approved officially yet, but it is likely to win approval in July, and the company has already been taking out teaser ads in the journals and has even sponsored a touring promotional CME program run by Stephen Stahl.