New analyses of cariprazine studies were presented by Gedeon Richter Plc. at 32e Annual Congress of the European Psychiatric Association held April 6-9 in Budapest, Hungary. According to scientific posters of the event, cariprazine could be an appropriate treatment not only for early or late schizophrenia, but also for the difficult-to-treat dual diagnosis that combines schizophrenia and comorbid substance use disorders. In addition, a new transdiagnostic tool to quantify and visualize symptom severity and functional disability of patients with different psychiatric disorders was presented. A special publication by Gedeon Richter, the “Candid Book”, was also presented by the authors; It contains useful suggestions for those in charge of patients on a daily basis.
Richter’s first poster at the congress demonstrated that cariprazine was effective in treating patients with advanced schizophrenia, while the second poster focused on the early stage of schizophrenia (when the duration of the disease is less than five years) as well as the impact of cariprazine in preventing relapse. The results showed that the relative risk of relapse was reduced by 81%. The third poster compared patients’ and physicians’ views of predominant negative symptoms in a one-year observational study. The final poster provided information on the potential of cariprazine in cases of dual diagnosis, i.e. the co-occurrence of a major psychiatric disorder and a comorbid substance use disorder. The data suggest that cariprazine is a potential candidate for treatment, as it improves symptoms of both disorders: patients have seen improvements in anxiety, mood, and psychotic symptoms, as well as reduced substance use and feelings of need.
In addition, Richter organized two scientific sessions: the Product Theatre, which focused on the theme of “New treatment options for double schizophrenia“, and a mini-symposium, on the theme “Schizophrenia and the management of psychiatric comorbidities” such as affective and anxiety disorders as well as those related to the use of psychoactive substances.
On April 7, at a scientific event attended by more than 250 physicians, Prof. Christoph U. Correll stressed the importance of the use of measurements in daily psychiatric practice, and Gedeon Richter’s experts launched a new transdiagnostic tool to quantify and visualize symptom severity and functional disability in patients with different psychiatric conditions, which is available online. During the conference, Richter’s Candid Book – a comprehensive summary of important topics addressing the needs of caregivers in real-world situations – was also presented to the professional audience.
