Schizophrenia

The safety and effectiveness of lurasidone hydrochloride tablets 40-mg/day and 80-mg/day for the treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents (13 to 17 years) was established in a 6-week, placebo-controlled clinical study in 326 adolescent patients [see Dosage and Administration (2.1), Adverse Reactions (6.1), and Clinical Studies (14.1)].

The safety and effectiveness of lurasidone hydrochloride have not been established in pediatric patients less than 13 years of age with schizophrenia. 

Bipolar Depression

The safety and effectiveness of lurasidone hydrochloride tablets 20 to 80 mg/day for the treatment of bipolar depression in pediatric patients (10 to 17 years) was established in a 6-week, placebo-controlled clinical study in 347 pediatric patients [see Dosage and Administration (2.2), Adverse Reactions (6.1), and Clinical Studies (14.2)].

The safety and effectiveness of lurasidone hydrochloride have not been established in pediatric patients less than 10 years of age with bipolar depression. 

Irritability Associated with Autistic Disorder

The effectiveness of lurasidone hydrochloride in pediatric patients for the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder has not been established.

Efficacy was not demonstrated in a 6-week study evaluating lurasidone hydrochloride 20 mg/day and 60 mg/day for the treatment of pediatric patients 6 to 17 years of age with irritability associated with autistic disorder diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed., Text Revision [DSM-IV-TR] criteria. The primary objective of the study as measured by improvement from Baseline in the irritability subscale of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) at Endpoint (Week 6) was not met. A total of 149 patients were randomized to lurasidone hydrochloride or placebo. Vomiting occurred at a higher rate than reported in other lurasidone hydrochloride studies (4/49 or 8% for 20 mg, 14/51 or 27% for 60 mg, and 2/49 or 4% for placebo), particularly in children ages 6 to 12 (13 out of 18 patients on lurasidone hydrochloride with vomiting).

In a long-term, open-label study that enrolled pediatric patients (age 6 to 17 years) with schizophrenia, bipolar depression, or autistic disorder from three short-term, placebo-controlled trials, 54% (378/701) received lurasidone for 104 weeks. There was one adverse event in this trial that was considered possibly drug-related and has not been reported in adults receiving lurasidone: a 10 year old male experienced a prolonged, painful erection, consistent with priapism, that led to treatment discontinuation.

In this trial, the mean increase in height from open-label baseline to Week 104 was 4.94 cm. To adjust for normal growth, z-scores were derived (measured in standard deviations [SD]), which normalize for the natural growth of children and adolescents by comparisons to age- and sex-matched population standards. A z-score change <0.5 SD is considered not clinically significant. In this trial, the mean change in height z-score from open-label baseline to Week 104 was +0.05 SD, indicating minimal deviation from the normal growth curve.

Juvenile animal studies

Adverse effects were seen on growth, physical and neurobehavioral development at doses as low as 0.2 times the MRHD based on mg/m2. Lurasidone was orally administered to rats from postnatal days 21 through 91 (this period corresponds to childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in humans) at doses of 3, 30, and 150 (males) or 300 (females) mg/kg/day which are 0.2 to 10 times (males) and 20 times (females) the maximum recommended adult human dose (MRHD) of 160 mg/day based on mg/m2. The adverse effects included dose-dependent decreases in femoral length, bone mineral content, body and brain weights at 2 times the MRHD in both sexes, and motor hyperactivity at 0.2 and 2 times the MRHD in both sexes based on mg/m2. In females, there was a delay in attainment of sexual maturity at 2 times the MRHD, associated with decreased serum estradiol. Mortality occurred in both sexes during early post- weaning period and some of the male weanlings died after only 4 treatments at doses as low as 2 times the MRHD based on mg/m2. Histopathological findings included increased colloid in the thyroids and inflammation of the prostate in males at 10 times MRHD based on mg/m2 and mammary gland hyperplasia, increased vaginal mucification, and increased ovarian atretic follicles at doses as low as 0.2 times the MRHD based on mg/m2. Some of these findings were attributed to transiently elevated serum prolactin which was seen in both sexes at all doses. However, there were no changes at any dose level in reproductive parameters (fertility, conception indices, spermatogenesis, estrous cycle, gestation length, parturition, number of pups born). The no effect dose for neurobehavioral changes in males is 0.2 times the MHRD based on mg/m2 and could not be determined in females. The no effect dose for growth and physical development in both sexes is 0.2 times the MRHD based on mg/m2.