Bukwang Pharm said October 1 that a study evaluating lurasidone, marketed as Latuda, in adults with bipolar disorder has been accepted for publication in an international medical journal.
The study examined whether switching from other antipsychotic medications to lurasidone could help address weight gain while maintaining psychiatric symptom control and safety.
The study included 155 adults with bipolar disorder treated at 12 psychiatric clinics in South Korea. All participants had been taking aripiprazole, quetiapine, or olanzapine for at least eight weeks and had experienced weight gain before switching to lurasidone.
After 16 weeks of treatment with lurasidone, average body weight fell from 164.2 pounds to 159.6 pounds, a reduction of about 4.5 pounds. Average BMI also decreased from 27.03 to 26.28 kg/m².
At least a 5% reduction in body weight was observed in 25.8% of participants. Notably, 83.2% of the study population had switched from aripiprazole, an antipsychotic generally considered to have a relatively lower metabolic burden compared with some other agents.
Psychiatric symptoms did not worsen during the 16-week observation period. Instead, depressive symptoms improved significantly. The average Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score decreased by 5.36 points from baseline, while the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score improved from 3.83 to 3.03.
An analysis excluding the HAM-D weight-related item also showed a significant improvement in depressive symptoms, supporting the researchers’ assessment that the improvement was not simply driven by changes in body weight.
Safety findings were also reported. Five of the 155 participants experienced adverse events documented during treatment, representing 3.2% of the study population. All were mild, and no serious adverse events or treatment discontinuations due to adverse events were reported during the study period.
Lurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic with a relatively lower propensity for weight gain and metabolic side effects compared with some other medications in the class. Weight gain associated with antipsychotic treatment can affect long-term medication adherence and is also associated with metabolic and cardiovascular risks.
Bukwang Pharm said the publication acceptance provides international recognition of real-world clinical data collected from patients treated with lurasidone in routine Korean clinical practice. The company added that the findings provide additional clinical data on weight and metabolic considerations associated with long-term treatment of bipolar disorder.