- Explain to patients who ask that aripiprazole(Drug information on aripiprazole) (Abilify) is an atypical antipsychotic approved for the treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but not depression.
- This study was published as an abstract and presented as a poster at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed publication
SAN DIEGO, May 23 -- Aripiprazole (Abilify) may be a useful adjunctive therapy in patients with major depressive disorders who have incomplete responses to antidepressants, researchers reported here.
In a randomized study, patients assigned to antidepressants and aripiprazole had a significantly better reduction in scores on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale after six week than patients on an antidepressant and placebo, reported Robert Berman, M.D., an employee of Bristol-Myers Squibb, which licenses aripiprazole from Otsuka America.
Aripiprazole is approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, not for adjunctive treatment of depression.
The study, presented at the American Psychiatric Association meeting, involved a screening phase lasting from seven to 28 days, an eight-week prospective treatment phase during which patients received standard antidepressants, and a placebo-controlled six-week randomization phase.
