AstraZeneca's bipolar treatment safe for kids, experts say

11th Jun 2009 07:58

Drug giant AstraZeneca reported broadly positive results from a US Food and Drug Administration review of the use of the bipolar disorder treatment Seroquel in children and teenagers.Asked whether Seroquel had been shown to be effective for the treatment of schizophrenia in paediatric patients aged between 13 and 17, 17 members of an advisory committee said it had while one member said it had not.While 16 members said Seroquel been shown to be acceptably safe for the treatment of schizophrenia in paediatric patients of that age range, two abstained.Asked whether Seroquel been shown to be effective for the treatment of bipolar mania in paediatric patients aged between 10 and 17, 17 said yes and one abstained. Thirteen members said the treatment had been shown to be acceptably safe for the treatment on bipolar mania, but five abstained."We are pleased that the committee found Seroquel to be effective and acceptably safe for treating adolescents with schizophrenia and children and adolescents with bipolar mania," said Howard Hutchinson, chief medical officer of AstraZeneca.While Seroquel has been used by adults since 1997, it is currently not approved for use in patients under 18 in any country.