Iloperidone

Overview

Iloperidone is an atypical antipsychotic in development for the potential treatment of schizophrenia. Iloperidone’s unique binding profile to dopamine and serotonin receptors will potentially provide a highly-differentiated treatment for patients suffering from schizophrenia. On July 28, 2008, Vanda announced that the company had received a not approvable letter for iloperidone from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Vanda has put on hold all iloperidone-related activities pending further discussion with the FDA.

Market Opportunity for the potential treatment of Schizophrenia

The market for schizophrenia treatment is large and growing; it is estimated to be between $16 billion and $18 billion in 2008 alone. While there are several other treatments available for this condition, this market continues to be underserved because of significant side effects with current therapies. In treating schizophrenia, the choice of therapy is often predicated by the most tolerable side-effects. Some of the most problematic side effects with this class of drug include severe weight gain, diabetes, movement disorders, lethargy and somnolence.