Seroquel will be used to treat depressive and manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and Risperdal Consta can now be administered through the deltoid muscle in the arm.
FDA has given the go-ahead to AstraZeneca’s bipolar medication Seroquel XR and has sanctioned a new administration option for Janssen’s Risperdal, indicated for Schizophrenia.
Seroquel XR is the first FDA-approved medication for the once-daily acute treatment of both depressive and manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder, according to AstraZeneca. It is also sanctioned for the maintenance treatment of the disorder as adjunctive therapy to lithium or divalproex.
Additionally, the FDA also gave the green light for Risperdal Consta injection to the deltoid muscle in the arm to treat schizophrenia. The drug was previously approved as a gluteal injection only.
The new Risperdal Consta dose packs will now include two separate, noninterchangeable needles for injection and will be available by the end of this year. The needle for deltoid injection is a smaller gauge and is shorter in length than the gluteal needle. Both are administered every two weeks.
Risperdal Consta was initially approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in the U.S. in 2003 and is registered in more than 80 countries worldwide, according to Janssen.
