Shire presents new psychiatric drug data at APA meeting

Shire has presented new data from its psychiatric disorder portfolio at the 2012 American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting.

The company attended the congress in Philadelphia in order to present new clinical data on treatments such as Vyvanse and Intuniv, its approved therapies for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Results from a number of studies were used to demonstrate the efficacy of the drugs among specific patient demographics.

Meanwhile, the firm also took the opportunity to showcase investigational research on other psychiatric and neurobehavioral disorders, including major depressive disorder and negative symptoms associated with schizophrenia.

Dr Jeffrey Jonas, senior vice-president of research and development for Shire's specialty pharmaceuticals and regenerative medicine businesses, said: "We seek to further advance the body of scientific and health economics knowledge across a range of serious conditions that present significant challenges for patients."

Shire's Vyvanse is currently being reviewed by European regulators, with the product to be sold under the new name Venvanse if approved in the EU.