Psychiatry 2008 - September 2008 - (Page 16)

[psych Rx] Lars Bertram of Massachusetts General Hospital. Most of the early studies had too few patients and focused on mutations in what seemed to be plausible genes, an approach that is rarely successful. A new and more fruitful method is to survey the whole genome without any prior assumptions, a strategy made possible by new gene chips and a database of human genetic variation known as the hapmap. But even these genome-wide association studies have had little success in finding common variants. Five such studies of schizophrenia have now been completed, and one of the largest found no common variants, Dr. Bertram said. The consortiums led by Dr. Stefansson and Dr. Sklar are still looking for common variants but published their rare deletions now because they were so prominent, Dr. Sklar said. Should most of the genetic component of the disease turn out to depend on multiple rare variants, the task of finding general treatments might seem to be far harder than if a few common variants were involved. Dr. Stefansson said, however, that was not the case. “The only thing you need is to find pathways that are up- or downregulated,” he said. “The assumption that this is a more difficult situation is just not correct.” Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said the new landscape might complicate development of genetic diagnostics for schizophrenia but not necessarily of therapies. “If you can understand the mechanism,” Dr. Insel said, “you should be able to devise new treatments. So I think this is a big advance, not a signal for hopelessness.” VYVANSE® (LISDEXAMFETAMINE DIMESYLATE) NOW AVAILABLE IN US PHARMACIES IN SIX DOSAGE STRENGTHS Basingstoke, United Kingdom, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—Shire Limited (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced recently that VYVANSE is now available in US pharmacies nationwide in six dosage strengths: 20mg, 30mg, 40mg, 50mg, 60mg, and 70mg. The expanded VYVANSE dosing options will allow physicians to individualize treatment for each patient. VYVANSE, which received FDA approval for the treatment of ADHD in children in 2007, was also recently approved to treat ADHD in adults. VYVANSE is the first prodrug stimulant approved to treat ADHD and was shown to provide consistent delivery of active medication from patient to patient. In clinical studies of VYVANSE in children and adults, VYVANSE showed significant improvement in the core ADHD symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In children, VYVANSE demonstrated significant efficacy throughout the day, even at 6pm, as reported by parents. Additional information about VYVANSE and full prescribing information are available at www.vyvanse.com. olanzapine LAI clinical trials was also presented at the meeting. Olanzapine LAI is an investigational formulation that combines Zyprexa® (olanzapine), an atypical antipsychotic, with pamoic acid resulting in a salt that sustains the delivery of olanzapine for a period of up to four weeks. Long-acting injectable antipsychotics have been associated with improved treatment of schizophrenia in patients who have difficulty adhering to daily treatment regimens. Independent regulatory reviews of olanzapine LAI applications are ongoing in the European Union, Canada, Australia and United States. Olanzapine LAI is currently being reviewed by CHMP and submission to regulators to obtain country-specific marketing approval is dependent upon a CHMP opinion. Additional information is available at www.lilly.co.uk. NEW DATA HIGHLIGHT POSITIVE RESULTS OF NAMENDA (MEMANTINE HCL) ONCE-DAILY EXTENDED-RELEASE FORMULATION Chicago, Illinois—PRNewswireFirstCall—Forest Laboratories, Inc. recently presented positive Phase III data of a once-daily extended-release formulation of Namenda® (memantine HCl) at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD). The study evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of an innovative, proprietary, 28mg once-daily extended-release formulation of Namenda compared to placebo in outpatients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease already being treated with a cholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil, galantamine or rivastigmine). In the study, patients treated with once-daily, extended-release Namenda experienced significant improvements in cognitive performance and global clinical status compared to those receiving placebo. Patients treated with OLANZAPINE LONG-ACTING INJECTION (LAI) SHOWN TO MAINTAIN TREATMENT BENEFIT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS Barcelona, Spain—PRNewswireFirstCall—Final results from a 24-week study presented recently at a major medical meeting in Barcelona suggest that investigational olanzapine longacting injection (LAI) therapeutic doses showed a maintenance of treatment benefit for up to six months. A review of pooled safety data from all 16 Psychiatry 2008 [SEPTEMBER] http://www.lilly.co.uk http://www.vyvanse.com

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Psychiatry 2008 - September 2008 Editor’s Message Editorial Advisory Board Contents Psych Rx Letters to the Editor Use of Benzodiazepines in the Treatment of Anxiety Functional Neurosurgery in the Treatment of Severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Major Depression: Overview of Disease Circuits and Therapeutic Targeting for the Clinician Treatment of Comorbid Adolescent Cannabis Use and Major Depressive Disorder Risperidone Long-acting Injections: Successful Alternative Deltoid Muscle Injections for Refractory Schizophrenia Alcohol/Substance Misuse and Treatment Nonadherence: Fatal Attraction Transforming the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit from Short-term Pseudo-asylum Care to State-of-the-art Treatment Setting Journal Watch Classified Advertising Information for Authors

Psychiatry 2008 - September 2008

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