Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical announce availability of 2 mg Abilify (aripiprazole) tablet

Feb 7 2006

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced two newly available options of Abilify (aripiprazole) -- a 2 mg tablet strength and a nonrefrigerated oral solution (1 mg/mL).

The Abilify 2 mg tablet equips physicians with an additional dosage strength to help them titrate patients to an effective dose. The nonrefrigerated oral solution formulation allows greater convenience for adults who are unable to swallow or have difficulty swallowing tablets.

Abilify is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia, acute manic and mixed episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder, and for maintaining efficacy in adults with Bipolar I Disorder with a recent manic or mixed episode who had been stabilized and then maintained for at least six weeks.(i) Abilify is the first and only available dopamine partial agonist.(ii)

"The availability of the Abilify 2 mg tablet is important for physicians because it allows us to better meet the specific dosing needs of adults with schizophrenia or Bipolar I Disorder," said John Zajecka, M.D., Director, Treatment Research Center, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center. "The nonrefrigerated oral solution gives physicians another choice when prescribing Abilify, which allows for more convenience and flexibility for adult patients."