Pfizer Geodon
This article was originally published in Pharmaceutical Approvals Monthly
Executive Summary
Head-to-head study results of Geodon (ziprasidone) vs. Lilly's Zyprexa (olanazapine) presented May 8 at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting show comparable efficacy for Geodon and Zyprexa in alleviating psychotic symptoms, but a better safety profile in terms of weight gain, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin levels, Pfizer says. In the double-blind, six-week study of 269 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, median weight gain for Geodon patients was less than 1 1b. compared to more than 10.4 lbs. for Zyprexa patients. Total cholesterol change for Geodon patients was -1 mg/dL, while Zyprexa patients' cholesterol increased by an average of 20 mg/dL. Insulin levels for Geodon patients increased 0.3 vs. 3.3 for Zyprexa. Geodon was approved Feb. 5 for treatment of schizophrenia