SAN DIEGO, CA, USA I November 3, 2016 I ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ACAD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs in central nervous system disorders, today announced the initiation of ENHANCE-1, a Phase III study to evaluate pimavanserin for adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia in patients with an inadequate response to current antipsychotic therapy. Current antipsychotics approved for schizophrenia primarily target the dopaminergic pathway. As a selective serotonin inverse agonist (SSIA), pimavanserin is a new class of antipsychotic medication with a distinct mechanism of action targeting serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors while avoiding activity at dopamine and other receptors commonly targeted by other antipsychotics.
“About 30 percent of patients with schizophrenia do not achieve an adequate response to a single antipsychotic medication, and as a result more than one in four schizophrenia patients are treated with two or more antipsychotics,” said Serge Stankovic, M.D., M.S.P.H., ACADIA’s Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development. “We believe pimavanserin, through its highly selective mechanism of action, could provide an important new option for adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia and improve clinical outcomes by both augmenting the efficacy of currently used antipsychotics and lessening the undesirable side effects associated with polypharmacy.”
About ENHANCE-1
ENHANCE-1 is a Phase III, six-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, outpatient study designed to examine the efficacy and safety of adjunctive use of pimavanserin in patients with schizophrenia who have not achieved an adequate response to their current antipsychotic treatment. Approximately 380 patients will be randomized to receive pimavanserin, or placebo, orally, once daily, in addition to their ongoing antipsychotic in a flexible dosing regimen. The starting daily dose of 20 mg of pimavanserin at baseline may be adjusted to 34 mg or 10 mg during the first three weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint of the study is the change from baseline to week six on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Following participation in ENHANCE-1, patients will be eligible to enroll in a 52-week open-label extension study.
About Schizophrenia
According to the National Mental Health Institute, approximately one percent of the U.S. population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime. Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental illness characterized by disturbances in thinking, emotional reaction, and behavior. These disturbances may include positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and a range of negative symptoms, including loss of interest, emotional withdrawal and cognitive disturbances. Current drugs used to treat schizophrenia have substantial limitations, including severe side effects and a lack of efficacy on the full range of symptoms of the disease.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 30 percent of patients with schizophrenia have inadequate response to antipsychotic medications, meaning that they exhibit improvement, but continue to have residual hallucinations or delusions. As a result, about 25 to 50 percent of schizophrenia patients are treated with two or more antipsychotics. This polypharmacy has led to increased dose-related side effects and complicated dosing regimens that can further contribute to poor treatment compliance and subsequent relapse in these patients.
About Pimavanserin
Pimavanserin is a selective serotonin inverse agonist (SSIA) preferentially targeting 5-HT2A receptors. These receptors are thought to play an important role in schizophrenia. Pimavanserin is being evaluated in an extensive clinical development program by ACADIA across multiple indications. Pimavanserin (34 mg) was approved for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2016 under the trade name NUPLAZID®. NUPLAZID is not approved for the adjunctive treatment of patients with schizophrenia.
About ACADIA Pharmaceuticals
ACADIA is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines to address unmet medical needs in central nervous system disorders. ACADIA maintains a website at www.acadia-pharm.com to which we regularly post copies of our press releases as well as additional information and through which interested parties can subscribe to receive e-mail alerts.
SOURCE: ACADIA Pharmaceuticals
Post Views: 71
SAN DIEGO, CA, USA I November 3, 2016 I ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ACAD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs in central nervous system disorders, today announced the initiation of ENHANCE-1, a Phase III study to evaluate pimavanserin for adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia in patients with an inadequate response to current antipsychotic therapy. Current antipsychotics approved for schizophrenia primarily target the dopaminergic pathway. As a selective serotonin inverse agonist (SSIA), pimavanserin is a new class of antipsychotic medication with a distinct mechanism of action targeting serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors while avoiding activity at dopamine and other receptors commonly targeted by other antipsychotics.
“About 30 percent of patients with schizophrenia do not achieve an adequate response to a single antipsychotic medication, and as a result more than one in four schizophrenia patients are treated with two or more antipsychotics,” said Serge Stankovic, M.D., M.S.P.H., ACADIA’s Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development. “We believe pimavanserin, through its highly selective mechanism of action, could provide an important new option for adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia and improve clinical outcomes by both augmenting the efficacy of currently used antipsychotics and lessening the undesirable side effects associated with polypharmacy.”
About ENHANCE-1
ENHANCE-1 is a Phase III, six-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, outpatient study designed to examine the efficacy and safety of adjunctive use of pimavanserin in patients with schizophrenia who have not achieved an adequate response to their current antipsychotic treatment. Approximately 380 patients will be randomized to receive pimavanserin, or placebo, orally, once daily, in addition to their ongoing antipsychotic in a flexible dosing regimen. The starting daily dose of 20 mg of pimavanserin at baseline may be adjusted to 34 mg or 10 mg during the first three weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint of the study is the change from baseline to week six on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Following participation in ENHANCE-1, patients will be eligible to enroll in a 52-week open-label extension study.
About Schizophrenia
According to the National Mental Health Institute, approximately one percent of the U.S. population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime. Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental illness characterized by disturbances in thinking, emotional reaction, and behavior. These disturbances may include positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and a range of negative symptoms, including loss of interest, emotional withdrawal and cognitive disturbances. Current drugs used to treat schizophrenia have substantial limitations, including severe side effects and a lack of efficacy on the full range of symptoms of the disease.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, about 30 percent of patients with schizophrenia have inadequate response to antipsychotic medications, meaning that they exhibit improvement, but continue to have residual hallucinations or delusions. As a result, about 25 to 50 percent of schizophrenia patients are treated with two or more antipsychotics. This polypharmacy has led to increased dose-related side effects and complicated dosing regimens that can further contribute to poor treatment compliance and subsequent relapse in these patients.
About Pimavanserin
Pimavanserin is a selective serotonin inverse agonist (SSIA) preferentially targeting 5-HT2A receptors. These receptors are thought to play an important role in schizophrenia. Pimavanserin is being evaluated in an extensive clinical development program by ACADIA across multiple indications. Pimavanserin (34 mg) was approved for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2016 under the trade name NUPLAZID®. NUPLAZID is not approved for the adjunctive treatment of patients with schizophrenia.
About ACADIA Pharmaceuticals
ACADIA is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines to address unmet medical needs in central nervous system disorders. ACADIA maintains a website at www.acadia-pharm.com to which we regularly post copies of our press releases as well as additional information and through which interested parties can subscribe to receive e-mail alerts.
SOURCE: ACADIA Pharmaceuticals
Post Views: 71
