Asenapine: a new antipsychotic option.

Asenapine is a new psychopharmacologic agent approved for the acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia and the acute and maintenance treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. The efficacy of asenapine in treating schizophrenia was evaluated in four 6-week studies in which placebo and active controls (risperidone, olanzapine, and haloperidol) were used. Two 3-week placebo-controlled trials examined the efficacy of asenapine and active control (olanzapine) in the treatment of bipolar I disorder.