Abstract
It seems that the efficacy of aripiprazole for treating schizophrenia is mediated through a combination of partial agonism at dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and antagonism at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. Aripiprazole has also received approval for the treatment of bipolar disorder as adjunctive therapy or monotherapy (manic or mixed episodes) as well as an augmentation therapy of major depressive disorder (MDD) by the US FDA. The overall safety and tolerability of aripiprazole is favorable compared to other atypical antipsychotics across the approved indications. Aripiprazole showed a minimal propensity for clinically significant weight gain and metabolic disruption. However, extrapyramidal side effects, such as akathisia, are reported and may limit its clinical use in some cases, particularly in patients with bipolar disorder and MDD. This review focuses on the tolerability and safety of aripiprazole across a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders while taking into consideration results from registrational studies as well as findings from studies in the naturalistic setting. In conclusion, whereas the comparative safety and tolerability of aripiprazole has not been systematically evaluated in comparator studies, tolerability and safety issues commonly associated with atypical antipsychotics such as weight gain and metabolic syndrome are less prominent with aripiprazole.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 373-386 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Expert Opinion on Drug Safety |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2009 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by a grant from the Medical Research Center, Korea Science and Engineering Foundation, Republic of Korea (R13-2002-005-04001-0). The manufacturer of aripiprazole was not involved in the writing of the contents of the manuscript.
Funding Information:
CP has received research grant from GlaxoSmithKline Korea, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca Korea, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Korea, Eli Lilly and Company Korea, Korean Research Foundation, Otsuka Korea Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Korea, Catholic Medical Center and Korean Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning; he has received honoraria and is on the speaker’s bureaus of GlaxoSmithKline Korea, Lundbeck Korea, AstraZeneca Korea, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Korea, Eli Lilly and Company Korea, McNeil Consumer and Specialty, Inc. and Otsuka Korea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Keywords
- Adverse event
- Aripiprazole
- Safety
- Tolerability