| ■ Abilify Approved as Additional Treatment for Major Depression | 2007.11.26 |
| TUESDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Abilify (aripiprazole) as an add-on therapy for people with major depressive disorder who don't benefit enough from antidepressant therapy alone, its makers said Tuesday. Abilify, approved in November 2002 to treat schizophrenia, is among a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. The latest approval followed clinical studies involving 743 patients. Elderly people with dementia-related psychosis who are treated with atypical antipsychotics are at greater risk of death, drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb warned in a statement. Abilify is co-produced by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. of Japan. Side effects of Abilify may include akathisia -- a syndrome characterized by feelings of inner restlessness and the urge to move. Other "adverse events" reported among clinical users included insomnia, constipation, fatigue, and blurred vision, the companies said. |