Lurasidone: a new treatment option for bipolar depression-a review

Depressive episodes in bipolar disorder contribute to significant morbidity and mortality. Until recently, only quetiapine and an olanzapine-fluoxetine combination were approved to treat bipolar depression. Recently, lurasidone was approved to treat bipolar depression either as monotherapy or adjunctively with lithium or valproate. Lurasidone was well- tolerated, and commonly observed adverse reactions (incidence ≥5% and at least twice the rate for placebo) were akathisia, extrapyramidal symptoms, and somnolence. There were no significant metabolic or electrocardiogram abnormalities. It is taken with food to ensure maximal absorption, and dose should be adjusted in patients who receive moderate CYP450 inhibitors or inducers and in patients with renal disease.