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Lingering depression is a serious and common problem in bipolar disorder, and does not resolve well with existing treatments.

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Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that an astonishing 52.3 percent of newly diagnosed bipolar disorder patients are prescribed antidepressant drugs first line. The new report entitled Treatment Algorithms in Bipolar Disorder finds that this high preponderance of early-line antidepressant use stems from primary care physician prescribing.

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The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells. Researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, found an association between the disorder and variation in two genes that make components of channels that manage the flow of the elements into and out of cells, including neurons.

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Adolescent girls in young offender institutions are particularly vulnerable to depression, a large-scale study led by Oxford University has shown. The researchers have found incidences of mental health problems in both boys and girls are many times greater in juvenile detention centres than in the general population. The high prevalence of mental disorders highlights the need for improved psychiatric care in juvenile justice and detention centres, say the researchers.

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The children of older aged fathers may have an increased risk of bipolar disorder (BPD), according to a report released on September 1, 2008 in the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A common and intense mood disorder, people who are bipolar often experience episodes of mania and depression. There are few previously identified risk factors for bipolar disorder, one of which is a family history of psychotic disorders.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic versions of Depakote delayed-release tablets (divalproex sodium). Depakote is approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures, bipolar disorder and migraine headaches. “Generic drugs undergo a rigorous scientific review to ensure that they will provide the patient with the same amount of high quality, safe and effective drug as the name brand product,” said Gary J.

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Bipolar Advantage Inc. will be introducing a new integrated recovery program called the “Advantage Program” on September 6, 2008. “The days of thinking a diagnosis of bipolar disorder means living a diminished life are over,” says company president Tom Wootton.

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Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) today announced that its partner, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD), submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for RISPERDAL® CONSTA® [(risperidone) Long-Acting Injection] to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval as monotherapy in the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder to delay the time to occurrence of mood episodes in adults.

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Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXA) announced that it has initiated its second Phase 3 clinical trial with AZ-004 (Staccato(R) loxapine). AZ-004 is an inhalation product candidate being developed for the treatment of acute agitation in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

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Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms. These two illnesses also share genetic variants that might be involved in the predisposition to both disorders.

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