Practical guidance on the use of lurasidone for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia
Author(s)
Javed, Afzal
Arthur, Holger
Curtis, Logos
Hansen, Lars
Pappa, Sofia
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Introduction
Lurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic that was approved in Europe in 2014 for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults aged ≥ 18 years. Clinical experience with lurasidone in Europe is currently limited, and there is therefore a need to provide practical guidance on using lurasidone for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia.
Methods
A panel of European psychiatrists with extensive experience of prescribing lurasidone was convened to provide recommendations on using lurasidone to treat adults with schizophrenia.
Results
Extensive evidence from clinical trials and the panel’s clinical experience suggest that lurasidone is as effective as other atypical agents, with the possible exception of clozapine. Lurasidone is associated with a lower propensity for metabolic side effects (in particular, weight gain) and hyperprolactinaemia than most other atypical antipsychotics and has a relatively benign neurocognitive side effect profile. Patients switching to lurasidone from another antipsychotic may experience weight reduction and/or improvements in the ability to focus/concentrate. Most side effects with lurasidone (such as somnolence) are transitory, easily managed and/or ameliorated by dose adjustment. Akathisia and extrapyramidal symptoms may occur in a minority of patients, but these can be managed effectively with dose adjustment, adjunctive therapy and/or psychosocial intervention.
Conclusions
Given the crucial importance of addressing the physical as well as mental healthcare needs of patients, lurasidone is a rational therapeutic choice for adults with schizophrenia, both in the acute setting and over the long term.
Funding
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd.
Lurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic that was approved in Europe in 2014 for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults aged ≥ 18 years. Clinical experience with lurasidone in Europe is currently limited, and there is therefore a need to provide practical guidance on using lurasidone for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia.
Methods
A panel of European psychiatrists with extensive experience of prescribing lurasidone was convened to provide recommendations on using lurasidone to treat adults with schizophrenia.
Results
Extensive evidence from clinical trials and the panel’s clinical experience suggest that lurasidone is as effective as other atypical agents, with the possible exception of clozapine. Lurasidone is associated with a lower propensity for metabolic side effects (in particular, weight gain) and hyperprolactinaemia than most other atypical antipsychotics and has a relatively benign neurocognitive side effect profile. Patients switching to lurasidone from another antipsychotic may experience weight reduction and/or improvements in the ability to focus/concentrate. Most side effects with lurasidone (such as somnolence) are transitory, easily managed and/or ameliorated by dose adjustment. Akathisia and extrapyramidal symptoms may occur in a minority of patients, but these can be managed effectively with dose adjustment, adjunctive therapy and/or psychosocial intervention.
Conclusions
Given the crucial importance of addressing the physical as well as mental healthcare needs of patients, lurasidone is a rational therapeutic choice for adults with schizophrenia, both in the acute setting and over the long term.
Funding
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd.
Date Issued
2019-12-01
Date Acceptance
2019-05-01
Citation
Neurology and Therapy, 2019, 8 (2), pp.215-230
ISSN
2193-8253
Publisher
Springer
Start Page
215
End Page
230
Journal / Book Title
Neurology and Therapy
Volume
8
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2019. This article is distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided you give appropriate credit
to the original author(s) and the source, provide
a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.
under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided you give appropriate credit
to the original author(s) and the source, provide
a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000496695000005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Clinical Neurology
Neurosciences & Neurology
Antipsychotic
Cardiometabolic side effects
Lurasidone
Schizophrenia
Weight gain
PSYCHIATRY WFSBP GUIDELINES
DOUBLE-BLIND
2ND-GENERATION ANTIPSYCHOTICS
PHARMACOLOGICAL-TREATMENT
ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTICS
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
INDUCED AKATHISIA
WORLD FEDERATION
UPDATE 2012
OPEN-LABEL
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-05-16