Underdiagnosed and Undertreated: Verena Ramirez Campos, MD, on Tardive Dyskinesia Care

Verena Ramirez Campos discussed the clinical significance of deutetrabenazine (Austedo) as a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor for tardive dyskinesia (TD), the ongoing gap between disease burden and treatment uptake, and Teva's real-world evidence research.

Ramirez Campos characterized deutetrabenazine as having meaningfully advanced the management of TD through a combination of robust phase 3 efficacy data, long-term open-label extension study findings, and a favorable tolerability profile—making it a practical tool for both neurologists and psychiatrists treating this population. She acknowledged, however, that TD as a condition remains significantly underdiagnosed, underrecognized, and undertreated despite the availability of effective VMAT2 inhibitors, with real-world data confirming persistently low rates of formal diagnosis and VMAT2 inhibitor prescribing among eligible patients.¹

On the future clinical development of deutetrabenazine, Ramirez Campos outlined several priorities. The IMPACT-TD Part B study will continue to grow the prospective, real-world evidence base with a larger patient cohort, examining effectiveness and outcomes in routine clinical practice. Additional real-world analyses will explore deutetrabenazine across subpopulations and clinical subgroups, switching patterns from other agents, and the potential impact of treatment on TD-associated comorbidities.² She also emphasized that long-term outcome characterization will remain a sustained focus as additional data mature.

Dr Ramirez Campos is head of US medical affairs at Teva Pharmaceuticals.

References

1. Alabaku O, Olfson M, Stroup TS, et al. The use of VMAT2 inhibitors for tardive dyskinesia. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2026;46(2):189–194.

2. Loughlin AM, Lin N, Abler V, et al. Tardive dyskinesia among patients using antipsychotic medications in customary clinical care in the United States. PLoS One. 2019;14(6):e0216044.