Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: TEVA) inches up in pre trading session on Monday as the company announced alongside MedinCell (MEDCL) that the FDA has authorized UZEDY (risperidone) extended-release injectable solution for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. UZEDY is the first subcutaneous, long-acting risperidone formulation to use SteadyTeqTM, a MedinCell-developed copolymer technology that regulates risperidone release. A single dosage produces therapeutic blood concentrations in 6-24 hours.
President and CEO of Teva, Richard Francis stated UZEDY exemplifies Teva’s commitment to delivering breakthrough improvements to patients and to giving individuals living with schizophrenia with a crucial new treatment option tailored to address specific treatment problems and may reduce the likelihood of relapse. The approval of UZEDY is the result of a collaborative effort by Teva and MedinCell to bring this vital medication to market. This achievement demonstrates our strong biopharmaceutical pipeline of innovative medicines, which aims to help more people living with mental health disorders and neurological diseases in the coming years.
Approximately 80% of patients with schizophrenia experience multiple relapses during the first five years of treatment, most commonly due to poor adherence to oral antipsychotic treatment. Each relapse poses a biological risk of function loss, treatment resistance, and alterations in brain morphology.
CEO of MedinCell, Christophe Douat stated that the approval of the first medicine developed using their technology is a watershed moment for MedinCell and the countless patients who will benefit. They are dedicated to assisting patients by providing novel therapeutic alternatives. It has been a lovely experience with Teva, a perfect partner for realizing UZEDY’s full potential. The commercialization of their technology signals the beginning of an exciting new era for MedinCell, and they are tremendously delighted to share this very unique event with all of its workers and stockholders.
The professor of psychiatry at the Zucker School of Medicine in Hempstead, NY, Christoph Correll said, because most schizophrenia treatments are prescribed as daily oral medications, adherence can be difficult due to missed doses. Noncompliance with oral antipsychotic medication is the most prevalent cause of relapse in schizophrenia, thus medicines that are dosed at one- or two-month intervals can help avoid recurrence. As a physician, he is overjoyed to have a new therapy option that reduces the chance of recurrence for this complicated disease while simultaneously addressing some of the hurdles to seeking treatment for schizophrenia.
