FDA okays long acting risperidone for Schizophrenia and Bipolar 1 Disorder

The Food and drug administration has approved biweekly risperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder.

Rykindo was developed by Luye Pharma on its microsphere technology platform. The drug is administered via intramuscular injection once every two weeks and delivers the active ingredient, risperidone, via long-acting and extended-release microsphere technology.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are both severe mental disorders. There were 40 million sufferers of bipolar disorder worldwide in 2019, and currently around 24 million schizophrenia patients1. In the U.S., the estimated prevalence of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders ranges between 0.25% and 0.64%2, while an estimated 4.4% of U.S. adults experience bipolar disorder at some point in their lives3.

“Mental disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder not only seriously affect the physical and mental health of patients, but also impose a heavy burden on their families and the society. Rykindo® is our first new drug developed in-house and approved for marketing in the U.S., demonstrating our long-standing commitment to serving patients around the world with innovative therapies,” said Yang Rongbing, President of Luye Pharma Group. “At Luye Pharma, we continue to enrich our product portfolio in the CNS field by focusing on the unmet needs of patients, and we look forward to making further contributions to the mental health community by providing better care and better services to those in need.”

Rykindo® was approved for marketing in China in 2021 for the treatment of schizophrenia. The development of Rykindo® in Europe is progressing, with plans to launch the drug in more countries and regions around the world.

The central nervous system is a key therapeutic area of focus for Luye Pharma. The company has built a robust product portfolio in the field, including a number of commercialized products and drug candidates, covering multiple diseases such as depression, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease.

About Rykindo

Developed by Luye Pharma, Rykindo is administered via intramuscular injection once every two weeks and delivers its active ingredient, risperidone, via long-acting and extended-release microsphere technology.

Rykindo is an atypical antipsychotic indicated:

• for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults.

• as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder in adults.