Study shows benefits of Latuda for Schizophrenia - Sunovion/Takeda

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and Takeda have announced results from a double-blind Phase III study that evaluated Latuda (lurasidone) for the maintenance treatment of adults with schizophrenia. Adult patients who were stabilized on lurasidone (40-80 mg/day) were randomized to either continued treatment with lurasidone (40 mg/day or 80 mg/day) or placebo for up to 28 weeks. The study showed that patients who received lurasidone experienced a significant delay in time to relapse compared to patients who received placebo. Treatment with lurasidone was associated with a 33.7% reduction in risk of relapse vs. placebo.

The study demonstrated that lurasidone was generally well-tolerated and had low rates of weight increase, as well as lipid and glucose effects. It is important to minimize the adverse effects on long-term physical health of schizophrenia as patients are likely to remain on therapy for many years. The discontinuation rate due to adverse events during the double-blind phase in patients treated with lurasidone was 13.9% vs. 15.6% for placebo. In January 2014 the EMA's CHMP issued a positive opinion for Latuda for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults.