The Ministry of Health of Russia has expanded the list of indications for the use of Reagila (cariprazine) to include bipolar disorder, Gedeon Richter reports.
“The updated list includes such conditions with bipolar disorder in adults as manic or mixed episodes, as well as bipolar depression. Until now, the drug has been used in Russia only for the treatment of schizophrenia,” the report says.
Cariprazine is an atypical neuroleptic produced by Gideon Richter, which, as trials have shown, is effective against both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Russia has become the second country in the world after the United States where this drug will be available to patients with bipolar disorder. From July 2021, cariprazine will be produced at the company’s plant in Yegoryevsk, Moscow Region.
“According to various estimates, about 1.5-6.5% of people worldwide suffer from bipolar disorder. This disease usually causes extreme mood swings, from mania to depression. This significantly affects the quality of life. In order to treat bipolar disorder, it is necessary to combine drugs that are effective against mania with those that relieve depressive episodes, and this is not always easy. Globally, there are few drugs that are effective against the entire spectrum of manifestations of the disorder, i. e., that improve the condition of patients with both mania and depression. Moreover, not all of these drugs are available in Russia. Cariprazine is one of Gideon Richter’s unique developments. At first, it became known all over the world as a drug used in the treatment of schizophrenia with a fundamentally new mechanism of action.
Several years of trials have shown that cariprazine is also effective for bipolar disorder, and most importantly, it allows you to fight the manifestations of both mania and depression, that is, it can be a universal drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder,” said Attila Varadi, authorized representative of Gedeon Richter in the Russian Federation.
The appearance in the arsenal of Russian doctors of a drug against bipolar disorder, effective against the entire spectrum of its manifestations, including mania, depression and mixed episodes, will simplify the selection of optimal therapy. This means that more patients will be able to achieve stable remission and lead a full life again.
Cariprazine, discovered by Gedeon Richter, was developed jointly with AbbVie/Allergan (formerly Forest/Actavis). In 2015, the FDA approved the drug in the United States for use in the treatment of schizophrenia and manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder.