Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder that affects a person's behavior, thoughts, and feelings, and how they perceive, assess reality and social interaction. Schizophrenia includes a range of symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, restlessness, agitation, inability to feel joy, lack of motivation and excitement, social withdrawal and apathy. [1]

Schizophrenia is a complex and often persistent mental illness. It not only affects brain function and behavior but is also associated with serious impacts on physical health. Consequently, it is associated with very high rates of premature death. Moreover, due to the complex nature of the disease, a person with schizophrenia may experience a wide range of different problems, which means that it is inappropriate to treat the same individuals with the disease. New treatments and additional options are always welcome to provide more effective treatment solutions and reduce barriers to current treatment.

Cariprazine is an original atypical antipsychotic developed in Hungary, which was granted marketing authorization in the United States under the brand name Vraylar in 2015 for the treatment of schizophrenia and the manic or mixed episodes associated with type I bipolar disorder. In 2017, Cariprazine was registered in 28 Member States of the European Union under the brand name Reagila for the treatment of schizophrenia [2].

Cariprazine is a drug with a unique range of uses, its efficacy has been demonstrated not only in the treatment of the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia but also in the therapy for mixed episodes of acute manic disorder, acute depression, and acute bipolar disorder for many years. In clinical trials, Cariprazine was shown to be more effective in reducing symptoms of schizophrenia than placebo or risperidone. It was also well tolerated and most adverse events were mild to moderate. Therefore, cariprazine is a useful additional treatment option for schizophrenia [3].

Schizophrenia is a disabling and severely stigmatized mental illness in many countries around the world. This stigma can contribute to delayed access to treatment, and social isolation and moreover can put the condition at risk of more serious illness. Any of us need love and hope in life and this is no exception for people with schizophrenia. Timely and affordable access to a wide range of treatment options plays an important role in the effective management of schizophrenia and is important in providing hope to the schizophrenia community.

Bepharco is proud to be the exclusive distribution partner of Gedeon Richter's Reagila drug in Vietnam. With the mission of bringing the best products for health to improve the quality of life and always be responsible to the community, Bepharco expects Reagila products to bring significant improvements in access and treatment of schizophrenia in Vietnam.

Source:

1. InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Cariprazine (Reagila) for the treatment of schizophrenia: Overview. 2018 Aug 9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525758/ 
2. Reagila named Medicine of the Year. Available from: https://www.gedeonrichter.com/en/news/200611 
3. Garnock-Jones, K. P. (2017). Cariprazine: a review in schizophrenia. CNS drugs, 31(6), 513-525.