Hope in sight for bipolar patients

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MISSISSAUGA, ON - Health Canada has approved a drug that may provide relief to thousands of bipolar disorder sufferers. Seroquel(R) is now available in Canada for the acute management of manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder.

   
Bipolar disorder, a condition that affects about 440,000 Canadian  adults -- or 2.6 per cent of the population(1) -- consists of recurring episodes of mania and depression. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide.(1) Most often, a person with bipolar disorder experiences moods that shift from high to low and back again, in varying degrees of severity. Both men and women are equally at risk for the illness, which most often emerges in adolescence or young adulthood and recurs throughout life.(1)

   
Health Canada's approval of Seroquel(R) is based on results of clinical trials for bipolar disorder which showed Seroquel(R) to be effective and    well-tolerated. Notably, only a small effect on weight change was seen for patients taking Seroquel(R).(2) "The side effects of antipsychotic medications often prompt patients to interrupt their treatment, resulting in a high-risk of relapse and an increased risk of suicide," says Dr. Roger McIntyre, FRCPC, Psychiatry, University Health Network - Toronto Western Hospital. "A well-tolerated treatment like Seroquel(R) is crucial to the successful treatment of bipolar mania."

   
In clinical trials, some patients taking Seroquel(R) on its own showed improvement of their manic symptoms within the first week of treatment. After three weeks, 77 per cent of patients who responded to Seroquel(R) had achieved remission. Seroquel(R) was also shown to be effective in reducing the agitation, hostility and aggression sometimes associated with manic episodes.(2)

   
"When patients are experiencing the 'high', or manic phase of bipolar disorder, they feel very agitated, have trouble concentrating and suffer from insomnia," says Phil Upshall, President of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada. "With Health Canada's approval of new medications for management of acute mania, patients have another option to help them regain control of their lives."

 
ABOUT SEROQUEL

  Seroquel(R) is a dibenzothiazepine derivative and belongs to a class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics. Seroquel(R) has been approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults since 1997 and is the fastest-growing atypical antipsychotic in Canada.(3) Since January 1999, there have been more than 3.8 million prescriptions written for Seroquel(R) in Canada.(4) WSN