According to the company, patients receiving Seroquel showed a statistically significant decrease in depression scores compared to patients taking placebo throughout the eight-week study. About 58% of the patients responded to the treatment and 52.9& achieved remission.
The results open up doors in the treatment of bipolar disorder, which affects more than 7 million US adults every year. The disorder is currently treated by multiple medications designed to manage the depressive and manic states.
Patients with bipolar disorder are symptomatic for almost half of their lives. They spend two-thirds of that time in the depressed phase of the illness, and suffer prolonged periods of sadness, unexplained loss of energy, persistent lethargy and recurring thoughts of death or suicide.
Seroquel is currently approved for the treatment of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder and the treatment of schizophrenia.