Japan’s Otsuka Pharma Gets FDA Approval for Alzheimer’s Agitation Drug

Japan’s Otsuka Pharma Gets FDA Approval for Alzheimer’s Agitation Drug
A doctor points out evidence of Alzheimer’s disease on PET scans at the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment (CART) at Brigham And Women’s Hospital in Boston on March 30, 2023. Brian Snyder/Reuters
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s brexpiprazole to treat agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s on Thursday, making it the first approved drug for the indication, the company said in a statement.

The decision comes after an advisory panel in April voted 9–1 that the company had enough data to identify the population in whom benefits from the treatment outweigh its risks.