Deutetrabenazine is FDA-approved for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD) in adults. In two 12-week pivotal trials (ARM-TD/AIM-TD), deutetrabenazine significantly improved Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores and was well-tolerated. This post hoc analysis examined the efficacy and safety of long-term deutetrabenazine treatment in TD patients with comorbid psychiatric illness, including schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder and mood disorders (bipolar/depression/other).

Patients who completed ARM-TD or AIM-TD enrolled in the 3-year, open-label extension (OLE) study. Deutetrabenazine was titrated based on dyskinesia control and tolerability. Change from baseline in total motor AIMS score, Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC), and adverse events (AEs) were analyzed in subgroups by comorbid psychiatric illness.

A total of 337 patients in the OLE study were included in the analysis: 205 patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (mean age, 55 years; 50% male; 6.4 years since diagnosis; 92% taking DRA) and 131 patients with mood disorders (mean age, 60 years; 35% male; 4.6 years since diagnosis; 50% taking DRA). At week 145, mean ± SE dose was 40.4 ± 1.1 mg/day for schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (n = 88) and 38.5 ± 1.2 mg/day for mood disorders (n = 72). Mean ± SE change from baseline in AIMS score at week 145 was −6.3 ± 0.49 and −7.1 ± 0.58, 56% and 72% achieved PGIC treatment success, and 66% and 82% achieved CGIC treatment success in schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder and mood disorder patients, respectively. Overall AE incidence (exposure-adjusted incidence rates [incidence/patient-years]) was low: any, 1.02 and 1.71; serious, 0.10 and 0.12; leading to discontinuation, 0.07 and 0.05).

Long-term deutetrabenazine treatment provided clinically meaningful improvements in TD-related movements, with a favorable safety profile, regardless of underlying comorbid psychiatric illness.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Petach Tikva, Israel

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is an involuntary movement disorder that can result from exposure to dopamine-receptor antagonists (DRAs). Deutetrabenazine demonstrated significant improvements in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores in the 12-week pivotal trials (ARM-TD/AIM-TD). This post hoc analysis assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of deutetrabenazine by baseline DRA use.

Patients who completed ARM-TD or AIM-TD enrolled in the 3-year, open-label extension (OLE) study, with deutetrabenazine dose titrated based on dyskinesia control and tolerability. Change from baseline in total motor AIMS score, Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC), and adverse event (AE) rates were analyzed in subgroups by baseline DRA use.

Of 337 patients in the OLE study, 254 were taking DRAs at baseline (mean age, 56 years; 48% male; 6.0 years since diagnosis) and 83 were not (mean age, 60 years; 31% male; 4.9 years since diagnosis). Mean ± SE dose at week 145 was 39.9 ± 1.0 mg/day in patients taking DRAs (n = 108) and 38.5 ± 1.5 mg/day in patients not taking DRAs (n = 53). At week 145, mean ± SE change from baseline in AIMS score was −6.1 ± 0.43 and −7.5 ± 0.71; 64% and 62% achieved PGIC treatment success; and 69% and 81% achieved CGIC treatment success, respectively. Overall AE incidence was low (exposure-adjusted incidence rates [incidence/patient-years]: any, 1.08 and 1.97; serious, 0.10 and 0.12; leading to discontinuation, 0.06 and 0.05).

This analysis suggests that deutetrabenazine for long-term treatment of TD is beneficial, with a favorable safety profile, regardless of concomitant DRA use.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Petach Tikva, Israel

The 12-week ARM-TD and AIM-TD studies in tardive dyskinesia (TD) patients showed statistically significant improvements in TD symptoms with deutetrabenazine. The completed open-label extension (OLE) study (SD-809-C−20) evaluated long-term efficacy and safety of deutetrabenazine in TD.

Patients who completed ARM-TD or AIM-TD enrolled in the OLE study, with deutetrabenazine dose titrated based on dyskinesia control and tolerability. Change from baseline in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) score was assessed by local site raters. Treatment success was evaluated locally as patients being “much improved” or “very much improved” on Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC).

343 patients enrolled in the OLE study; 6 patients were excluded from analyses. At Week 54 (n=249; dose [mean±SE]: 38.7±0.66mg/day), mean change from baseline in AIMS score was –4.8±0.28; 66% of patients experienced treatment success. At Week 106 (n=194; dose: 39.3±0.75mg/day), mean change from baseline in AIMS score was –5.4±0.33; 65% of patients experienced treatment success. At Week 145 (n=160; dose: 39.4±0.83mg/day), mean change from baseline in AIMS score was –6.6±0.37; 73% of patients experienced treatment success. Treatment was generally well tolerated across 723 patient-years of exposure through Week 158, and exposure-adjusted incidence rates (incidence/patient-years) for akathisia/restlessness were 0.01, somnolence/sedation were 0.07, and symptoms which may represent parkinsonism or depression were 0.08 each.

Patients who received long-term treatment with deutetrabenazine achieved sustained improvement in AIMS scores. Findings from this open-label trial with response-driven dosing suggest the possibility of increasing benefit over time.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Petach Tikva, Israel

Deutetrabenazine (Austedo) is approved by the FDA for treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD) in adults. In the 12-week ARM-TD and AIM-TD studies, deutetrabenazine showed clinically significant improvements in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores compared with placebo, and there were low rates of overall adverse events (AEs) and discontinuations associated with deutetrabenazine. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of deutetrabenazine in patients with TD at 3 years.

Patients who completed ARM-TD or AIM-TD were included in this open-label, single-arm extension study, in which all patients restarted/started deutetrabenazine 12 mg/day, titrating up to a maximum total daily dose of 48 mg/day based on dyskinesia control and tolerability. The study comprised a 6-week titration period and a long-term maintenance phase. Safety measures included incidence of AEs, serious AEs (SAEs), and AEs leading to withdrawal, dose reduction, or dose suspension. Exposure-adjusted incidence rates (EAIRs; incidence/patient-years) were used for calculating AE frequencies. This analysis reports results up to Week 158.

A total of 343 patients were enrolled (111 received placebo and 232 received deutetrabenazine in the parent studies). At the time of this analysis, 183 patients were still receiving treatment; 259 completed 1 year, 172 completed 2 years, and 41 completed 3 years. There were 623 patient-years of exposure. More than 40% of patients reached the maximum dose. EAIRs of AEs were comparable to or lower than those observed in the ARM-TD and AIM-TD short-term randomized trials of deutetrabenazine vs. placebo. The frequency of SAEs (EAIR 0.10) was similar to that observed with short-term placebo (0.33) and short-term deutetrabenazine (range 0.06–0.33) treatment. AEs leading to withdrawal (0.06), dose reduction (0.10), and dose suspension (0.05) were uncommon.

These results support the safety outcomes observed in the ARM-TD and AIM-TD parent studies and the safety of deutetrabenazine for long-term use in patients with TD.

Funding Acknowledgements: This study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Petach Tikva, Israel

In the 12-week ARM-TD and AIM-TD studies evaluating deutetrabenazine for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD), the percentage of patients achieving ≥50% response was higher in the deutetrabenazine-treated group than in the placebo group. These studies also showed low rates of overall adverse events (AEs) and discontinuations associated with deutetrabenazine. The current open-label study evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of deutetrabenazine in patients with TD.

Patients with TD who completed ARM-TD or AIM-TD could enroll in this open-label, single-arm extension study, titrating up over 6 weeks to a maximum total daily dose of deutetrabenazine 48 mg/day on the basis of dyskinesia control and tolerability. The proportion of Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS; items 1-7) responders was assessed based on response rates for achieving ≥50% improvement from baseline in the open-label extension study. AlMS score was assessed by local site raters for this analysis.

343 patients enrolled in the extension study. At Week 54 (n=249; total daily dose [mean ± standard error]: 38.6±0.66 mg), the mean percentage change from baseline in AIMS score was –40%; 48% of patients achieved a ≥50% response and 59% of those had already achieved a ≥50% response at Week 15. Further, 34% of those who had not achieved a ≥50% response at Week 15 achieved a ≥50% response at Week 54. At Week 106 (n=169; total daily dose: 39.6±0.77 mg), the mean percentage change from baseline in AIMS score was –45%; 55% of patients achieved a ≥50% response, 59% of those patients had already achieved a ≥50% response at Week 15, and 41% of those who had not achieved a ≥50% response at Week 15 but who reached Week 106 achieved a ≥50% response. At Week 132 (n=109; total daily dose: 39.7±0.97 mg), the mean percentage change from baseline in AIMS score was –61%; 55% of patients achieved a ≥50% response, 61% of those patients had already achieved a ≥50% response at Week 15, and 43% of those who had not achieved a ≥50% response at Week 15 but who reached Week 132 achieved a ≥50% response. Completer analysis suggests that long-term efficacy was not due to dose increases over time. Treatment with deutetrabenazine was generally well tolerated. There were 623 patient-years of exposure through Week 158, and exposure-adjusted incidence rates (incidence/patient-years) of adverse events of special interest were 0.01 for akathisia and restlessness, 0.07 for somnolence and sedation, 0.04 for parkinsonism, and 0.05 for depression.

Patients who received long-term treatment with deutetrabenazine achieved response rates that were indicative of clinically meaningful long-term benefit. Results from this open-label trial suggest the possibility of increasing benefit over time with individual dose titration of deutetrabenazine.

This study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Petach Tikva, Israel.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is an often-irreversible movement disorder that may intensify the stigma of patients with psychiatric disorders and worsen quality of life. In two randomized, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled, 12-week trials, ARM-TD and AIM-TD (‘parent studies’), deutetrabenazine (DTB) demonstrated statistically significant improvements in centrally read Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores at Week 12 compared with PBO and was generally well tolerated.

To evaluate the long-term efficacy of DTB in an open-label safety study following double-blind treatment using site-rated efficacy measures: AIMS, the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC) and the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), which may be used in real-world clinical practice settings.

Patients with TD who completed the parent studies were eligible to enter this open-label, long-term extension (OLE) after completing the 1-week washout period and final evaluation in the blinded portion of the trial. This extension comprised a 6-week titration period followed by a long-term maintenance phase. Patients began DTB at 12mg/day, titrating up to a maximum total dose of 48mg/day based on dyskinesia control and tolerability. Efficacy endpoints included in this analysis are the change in site-rated AIMS score (items 1–7) from parent study baseline, and the proportion of patients who were “Much Improved” or “Very Much Improved” (treatment success) on the CGIC and PGIC from OLE baseline.

At the end of the parent studies (Week 12), patients treated with DTB had experienced greater mean (standard error) improvements in site-rated AIMS score (–5.0[0.40]) than patients given PBO (–3.2[0.47]). With long-term DTB treatment, both groups experienced improvements in site-rated AIMS scores (prior DTB, –7.9[0.62]; prior placebo, –6.6[0.64]) compared with parent study baseline. Similarly, at the end of the parent studies, a greater proportion of patients treated with DTB had treatment success on the CGIC (DTB, 51%; PBO, 32%) and the PGIC (DTB, 46%; PBO: 33%); whereas at Week 54 of the OLE study, treatment success on CGIC and PGIC were similar in both the CGIC (prior DTB: 66%; prior PBO: 68%) and PGIC (prior DTB: 62%; prior PBO: 62%) groups. DTB was generally well tolerated.

Patients treated with DTB showed improvements in abnormal movements, as measured by site-rated AIMS, CGIC, and PGIC scores, which may be used in real-world clinical practice settings. These results corroborate the previously reported efficacy of DTB as observed in the 12-week, double-blind ARM-TD and AIM-TD trials, in which central raters were used to evaluate AIMS scores.

Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 5–9, 2018, New York, New York, USA

Funding Acknowledgements: Funding: This study was supported by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Petach Tikva, Israel.

Senior Instructors and Assistant Professors in their first academic appointment may not have all the tools for an efficient start to their careers. Although many institutions provide access to mentoring programs and seminars on faculty development, the timing and format of the offerings often conflict with ongoing responsibilities of the faculty, particularly clinical faculty.

We established a collaboration between the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and the University of Rochester Medical Center Office for Faculty Development with the goal of developing a week-long Junior Faculty Core Curriculum that would better suit faculty schedules. We convened focus groups and with their help, identified themes for inclusion in the course. Speakers were identified from among local senior faculty. University leadership was enlisted in promoting the course. Individual speakers and course content were evaluated daily, at the end of the week-long course, and 6 months later. Planning for subsequent years incorporated the feedback. Yearly evaluations and subsequent course modification continued.

Junior faculty from nearly every department in the Medical Center were represented. There was high learner satisfaction and participation however several limitations were identified and addressed in subsequent years. The focus on principles and available resources, not specific skills or content was appropriate. Daily interactions among participants from a wide variety of departments fostered networking among faculty who may not otherwise have met and discussed common interests

The ultimate value of such an early, intensive faculty development program will depend on whether it equips junior faculty to organize, develop, and achieve their academic goals better than alternative formats. This will require further study.