Tardive dyskinesia (TD), a persistent and potentially disabling movement disorder, is associated with prolonged exposure to antipsychotics and other dopamine receptor blocking agents. Valbenazine (VBZ) is a novel and highly selective vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor approved for the treatment of TD in adults. Using data from two long-term phase 3 studies (KINECT 3 [K3], NCT02274558; KINECT 4 [K4], NCT02405091) and a rollover study (1506, NCT02736955), the long-term outcomes of once-daily VBZ on TD were examined in participants who received 40mg or had a dose reduction from 80 to 40mg.

The effects of VBZ 40mg (as well as VBZ 80mg) were evaluated in the following studies: the pivotal K3 study (6 weeks double-blind, placebo controlled), the extension phase of K3 (42 additional weeks of VBZ, 4 week discontinuation), and the open-label K4 study (48 weeks of VBZ, 4 week discontinuation). Completers from K3 extension and K4 were invited to participate in 1506 (up to 72 additional weeks of VBZ or until commercial availability of VBZ). Few participants reached Week 60 (n=4) or Week 72 (n=0) in the 1506 study before termination. Analyses focused on VBZ 40mg in two populations: pooled K3/K4 (participants who received VBZ 40mg throughout K3 or K4 or who had a dose reduction [80/40mg] during K3 or K4); and 1506 (participants who received VBZ 40mg from beginning of K3 or K4 to last visit in 1506 or who had a dose reduction [80/40mg] at any time). Outcomes for the K3/K4 population included mean change from baseline (CFB) in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) total score (sum of items 1-7) and AIMS response (≥50% total score improvement from baseline) at Week 48 of K3 or K4. Outcomes for the 1506 population included a Clinical Global Impression of Severity-Tardive Dyskinesia (CGIS-TD) score ≤2 (“normal, not at all ill” or “borderline ill”).

In the K3/K4 population, AIMS CFB to Week 48 indicated mean TD improvements in participants who received 40mg continuously (40mg, -5.7 [n=54]) and in those who had a dose reduction to 40mg (80/40mg, -6.2 [n=13]). In addition, a majority of these participants had an AIMS response after 48 weeks of treatment (40mg, 53.7%; 80/40mg, 53.8%). In the 1506 population, the percentage of participants who had a CGIS-TD score ≤2 (rating of “normal, not at all ill” or “borderline ill”) at Week 12 was 63.6% (7/11) in the 40mg group and 30.8% (4/13) in the 80/40mg group. Data from Weeks 24 to 60 of 1506 were limited by the small sample sizes (<10 participants each in 40mg or 80/40mg group at each of these visits).

Based on these analyses and results from published studies, VBZ 40mg may be an effective long-term option for some TD patients. Dose reductions from 80 to 40mg, if necessary, did not appear to compromise long-term benefit.

This study was sponsored by Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.