Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Ziprasidone Okayed for Bipolar Disorder

The FDA has cleared ziprasidone (Geodon) for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder as an adjunct to lithium or valproate.

It joins several other antipsychotic drugs -- including quetiapine (Seroquel), aripiprazole (Abilify), and olanzapine (Zyprexa) -- approved for this indication.

Ziprasidone is also approved for acute manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder, with or without psychotic features, and for schizophrenia.

The approval as bipolar maintenance therapy follows a a six-month, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in adult patients with bipolar I disorder, according to the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer.

READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY