NAMI Touts New Atypical

Some days it's like shooting fish in a barrel around here. Johnson & Johnson just announced a new formulation of Risperdal (OK, it's really a slight chemical riff on the risperidone molecule) called Invega. Thank god, they didn't name it Inpinto. Anyhow, it's an extended release daily tab.

Now, read this press release for something really amazing. The executive director of NAMI National is quoted in the press release. To whit:

"We are pleased that innovative delivery technologies are being applied to new treatments for schizophrenia," said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, MSW, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). "New and efficacious treatment options, like INVEGA, provide significant opportunities for more people with schizophrenia to manage their disease as they work with their treatment teams to live more fulfilling and productive lives."

Now, what the hell is the ED of NAMI doing in a company press release much less mouthing the product name in all-caps? When I last talked with Fitzpatrick about two years ago, he assured me that NAMI National had really cut back on its pharma habit. So this is just disappointing.

And, about Invega, a researcher is quoted as saying:

"At the recommended dose of 6 mg per day, INVEGA had a tolerability profile that was similar to placebo."

I don't even think that's possible--an atypical anti-psychotic that's just like taking a placebo. It was a six-week trial. Whatever, dude.

Just another motherfucking day for Dre, as the saying goes.