For the management of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, US FDA recently approved a once-daily oral combination medication of olanzapine and samidorphan. Olanzapine on its own is highly efficacious but demonstrates side effects such as weight gain. In the ENLIGHTEN-2 study, the combination has proven its efficacy along with significantly less weight gain than olanzapine monotherapy. It has been approved for maintenance monotherapy and to treat acute manic episodes, as either monotherapy or an adjunct to lithium or valproate. It is expected to be available for patients in the fourth quarter of 2021 for the management of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder.
