Teva Pharmaceuticals has released data from a survey study on patient and healthcare professional (HCP) attitudes and experiences, showing high levels of patient satisfaction with subcutaneous TEV-‘749 (olanzapine).
The data was presented at the 2025 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) taking place from 29 March to 2 April 2025 in Chicago, US.
TEV-‘749 is a long-acting antipsychotic. Teva is developing the therapy in partnership with MedinCell, the developer of BEPO technology for extending the release of injectable therapies. Using this technology, MedinCell formulates active ingredients into a depot post-administration. The depot gradually breaks down, providing the patient with several weeks’ worth of the drug from a single dose.
TEV-‘749 is a generic subcutaneous version of Eli Lilly’s Zyprexa, which the FDA approved first approved for treating schizophrenia in 2009. Zyprexa was Lilly’s blockbuster drug once upon a time, having peak sales of $5 billion in 2010.
Survey data for subcutaneous TEV-‘749
The prospective, cross-sectional, observational online survey study recruited 70 patients and 35 HCP participants (24 nurses and 11 physicians) involved in the SOLARIS trial (NCT05693935) who had two or more experiences with TEV-‘749.
The majority of patients (78.6%) preferred the subcutaneous (SC) injection, while 21.4% favored the intramuscular (IM) injection. This preference was primarily driven by the shorter needle length of the SC injection. The company notes that “TEV-‘749 has a needle that’s 5/8th of an inch long”. In the case of HCPs, the preference between SC and IM was balanced for both physicians (54.6% vs. 45.5%, respectively) and nurses (both at 50.0%).
Teva noted that although patients reported low levels of social, emotional, financial, or time impact, almost all indicated that having a long-acting injectable (LAI) without a post-injection monitoring period (90.0%) or a requirement for caregiver accompaniment (92.9%) would be beneficial.
Over 90% of physicians and more than 66% of nurses believe that the post-injection monitoring period may pose treatment barriers and clinical challenges, impacting patients’ utilization of LAIs. Currently, the available olanzapine LAI mandates a three-hour post-injection monitoring period.
Upon initiating an LAI, the majority of participants favored a regimen with just one injection instead of more complicated protocols involving additional oral medications or multiple injections, as per the survey.
The majority of participants responded positively (satisfied or very satisfied) about the initiation regimen, dosing schedule, and overall trial medication (patients: >92%; physicians: >72%; nurses: >87%). They also expressed favorable attitudes about continuing TV-‘749.
Patients with prior experience using LAIs were more likely to report being “very satisfied” with the trial medication (61.9% vs 53.1%). Healthcare professionals with substantial experience (≥10) with TV-‘749 generally rated it positively (88.9% vs 76.5%) and were more inclined to continue treatment with TV-‘749 (83.3% vs 52.9%).
Teva in Schizophrenia space
Teva noted that the survey data “complements” the Phase III Subcutaneous Olanzapine Extended-Release Injection Study (SOLARIS) evaluating TEV-‘749. In May 2024, the company reported that the Phase III SOLARIS trial met its primary endpoints across all three dosing groups, with a mean difference in change in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score from baseline to week 8 of -9.71 points, -11.27 points, and -9.71 points versus placebo for the high, medium, and low-dose groups, respectively.
The company also has another medication for schizophrenia, Uzedy (risperidone). The drug is the long-acting subcutaneous formulation of Johnson and Johnson’s (J&J) Risperdal, which is approved as a treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Uzedy raked in $117 million in sales last year, as per Teva’s financials.
