Review of the annual meeting of the ECNP

Organon, the human health care business unit of Dutch group Akzo Nobel being taken over by Schering-Plough, has reported trial data which indicates that its drug asenapine is effective in treating the acute manic symptoms of bipolar I disorder. The findings, which were announced at this year's European College of Neuropsychopharmacology congress in Vienna, Austria, are derived from two Phase III clinical studies that examined the drug in patients suffering from moderate-to-severe forms of the disorder.

In both trials, patients were randomized to receive either 5-10mg twice-daily dose of asenapine, a 5-20mg daily dose of olanzapine, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's antipsychotic Zyprexa, or placebo, for a period of three weeks.

The results at day 21 showed that patients in both the asenapine and olanzapine-treated groups achieved significant improvements in manic symptoms, as assessed using the Young Mania Rating Scale. However, patients treated with asenapine had a two-fold lower incidence of weight gain than those that received olanzapine.