Janssen-Cilag International, a Johnson & Johnson company, has received approval from the European Commission for the first antipsychotic treatment for schizoaffective disorder. INVEGA (paliperidone ER) can now treat patients with psychotic or manic symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. INVEGA was first approved in Europe in June 2007 for the treatment of schizophrenia. It's delivered via an osmotic drug delivery system that provides a steady, smooth release of medication over 24 hours.
"Janssen is committed to helping improve the lives of people with serious mental illness and has a long history of developing innovative medicines in this field," Dr. Christophe Tessier, psychiatric medical affairs director at Janssen, said in a statement. "We are proud to be able to bring to market the first antipsychotic treatment for schizoaffective disorder in Europe--a difficult to diagnose condition associated with a high rate of hospitalizations and suicidal behavior."
The approval is based on two international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled six-week studies in patients diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
- read the Janssen release