Trial Shows Schizophrenia Drug Effective

(December 7, 2006) -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Thursday its schizophrenia treatment was effective in a late-stage clinical trial, putting the biopharmaceutical closer to filing a New Drug Application with the Food and Drug Administration in late 2007.

The compound, iloperidone, is an atypical antipsychotic, and was tested in two doses in a four-week trial with 604 patients with schizophrenia, a chronic, debilitating mental disorder.

According to the data, iloperidone demonstrated statistically significant improvement compared to placebo on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), the trial's primary endpoint. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, racing thoughts and other psychotic symptoms, while negative symptoms include moodiness, anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), loss of interest, eating and sleep disturbances, and difficulty concentrating.

The company said iloperidone also achieved significant efficacy on the positive and negative symptom subscales of PANSS.

Source: Associated Press

Last updated: 12/06

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