Out Of The Pipeline

Lumateperone for major depressive episodes in bipolar I or bipolar II disorder

Current Psychiatry. 2022 March;21(3):44-51 | doi: 10.12788/cp.0227

This agent can be used as monotherapy or as an adjunct to a mood stabilizer.

References

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2. Judd LL, Akishal HS, Schettler PJ, et al. The long-term natural history of the weekly symptomatic status of bipolar I disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002;59(6):530-537.

3. Judd LL, Akishal HS, Schettler PJ, et al. A prospective investigation of the natural history of the long-term weekly symptomatic status of bipolar II disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003;60(3):261-269.

4. Post RM. Treatment of bipolar depression: evolving recommendations. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2016;39(1):11-33.

5. Pacchiarotti I, Verdolini N. Antidepressants in bipolar II depression: yes and no. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2021;47:48-50.

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10. Fountoulakis KN, Grunze H, Vieta E, et al. The International College of Neuro-Psychopharmacology (CINP) treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder in adults (CINP-BD-2017), part 3: the clinical guidelines. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2017;20(2):180-195.

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17. Calabrese JR, Durgam S, Satlin A, et al. Efficacy and safety of lumateperone for major depressive episodes associated with bipolar I or bipolar II disorder: a phase 3 randomized placebo-controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry 2021;178(12):1098-1106.

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Among patients with bipolar I or II disorder (BD I or II), major depressive episodes represent the predominant mood state when not euthymic, and are disproportionately associated with the functional disability of BD and its suicide risk.¹ Long-term naturalistic studies of weekly mood states in patients with BD I or II found that the proportion of time spent depressed greatly exceeded that spent in a mixed, hypomanic, or manic state during >12 years of follow-up (Figure 1²and Figure 2³). In the 20th century, traditional antidepressants represented the sole option for management of bipolar depression despite concerns of manic switching or lack of efficacy.^4,5 Efficacy concerns were subsequently confirmed by placebo-controlled studies, such as the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) trial, which found limited effectiveness of adjunctive antidepressants for bipolar depression.⁶ Comprehensive reviews of randomized controlled trials and observational studies documented the risk of mood cycling and manic switching, especially in patients with BD I, even if antidepressants were used in the presence of mood-stabilizing medications.^7,8

Several newer antipsychotics have been FDA-approved for treating depressive episodes associated with BD (Table 1). Approval of olanzapine/fluoxetine combination (OFC) in December 2003 for depressive episodes associated with BD I established that mechanisms exist which can effectively treat acute depressive episodes in patients with BD without an inordinate risk of mood instability. Subsequent approval of quetiapine in October 2006 for depression associated with BD I or II, lurasidone in June 2013, and cariprazine in May 2019 for major depression in BD I greatly expanded the options for management of acute bipolar depression. However, despite the array of molecules available, for certain patients these agents presented tolerability issues such as sedation, weight gain, akathisia, or parkinsonism that could hamper effective treatment.⁹ Safety and efficacy data in bipolar depression for adjunctive use with lithium or divalproex/valproate (VPA) also are lacking for quetiapine, OFC, and cariprazine.^10,11 Moreover, despite the fact that BD II is as prevalent as BD I, and that patients with BD II have comparable rates of comorbidity, chronicity, disability, and suicidality,¹² only quetiapine was approved for acute treatment of depression in patients with BD II. This omission is particularly problematic because the depressive episodes of BD II predominate over the time spent in hypomanic and cycling/mixed states (50.3% for depression vs 3.6% for hypomania/cycling/mixed combined), much more than is seen with BD I (31.9% for depression vs 14.8% for hypomania/cycling/mixed combined).^2,3 The paucity of data for the use of newer antipsychotics in BD II depression presents a problem when patients cannot tolerate or refuse to consider quetiapine. This prevents clinicians from engaging in evidence-based efficacy discussions of other options, even if it is assumed that the tolerability profile for BD II depression patients may be similar to that seen when these agents are used for BD I depression.

Continue to: Table 1...