Industry Briefs

Brintellix to Be Marketed as Trintellix Beginning in June 2016

Beginning next month, the antidepressant Brintellix (vortioxetine) will be marketed in the United States under the name Trintellix, according to a statement released on Monday by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which holds the license to market the drug in the United States, and Lundbeck, which manufactures the drug. This brand name change, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is in an effort to decrease the risk of prescribing and dispensing errors resulting from name confusion with the anti-blood-clotting medication Brilinta (ticagrelor).  

No other changes will be made to the formulation, label, or packaging of the medicine. Because of the lag time associated with manufacturing bottles with the new brand name, the FDA has warned that health care professionals and patients may continue to see bottles labeled with the brand name Brintellix during the transition period. To reduce the risk of name confusion during this transition, the FDA recommends prescribers include the generic name of the medication they are ordering.

FDA Approves First Medication for Parkinson’s-Related Psychosis

The FDA last week announced its approval of Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets, the first medication approved in the United States to treat psychosis in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PDP).

Some studies suggest that up to 50 percent of all patients with Parkinson’s disease will experience hallucinations or delusions during the course of their illness—believed to be in part due to the elevated dopamine levels produced by common Parkinson’s disease medications. Pimavanserin is a selective-serotonin inverse agonist that preferentially targets 5-HT2A receptors, while avoiding activity at dopamine and other receptors commonly targeted by antipsychotics.

A trial of adults with PDP who were randomly assigned to take 40 mg of pimavanserin or placebo daily for six weeks revealed that those taking pimavanserin experienced fewer and less severe hallucinations and delusions without worsening the primary motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The most common adverse effects reported by patients taking pimavanserin included peripheral edema, nausea, and confusional state, according to Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., the manufacturer of the medication.

According to Acadia, Nuplazid will be commercially available next month. ■