J&J's Caplyta Meets Phase 3 Goal in Bipolar Mania Trial

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Johnson & Johnson said Caplyta met the main goal of a late-stage study in bipolar mania, a potential new use for the drug acquired through its $14.6 billion purchase of Intra-Cellular Therapies. In the Phase 3 trial, a once-daily 42-milligram dose of Caplyta significantly reduced symptoms of bipolar mania compared with placebo in adults with manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder, with roughly 46% of treated patients achieving a clinical response versus about 21% on placebo. Patients began showing improvement as early as three days after starting treatment, and the benefits were maintained through the study's three-week duration; the trial also met a key secondary goal measuring overall severity of illness. Caplyta is currently approved in the United States for depressive episodes associated with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder, as well as schizophrenia, and J&J noted that bipolar disorder affects an estimated 37 million people worldwide. The use remains experimental for bipolar mania, and investors will be watching regulatory timelines, potential sales contributions and the size of the addressable market to gauge how much value the indication could add to J&J's neuroscience business.

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Caplyta met the main goal of a Phase 3 trial in bipolar mania, a potential new use for the drug J&J acquired via Intra-Cellular.

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