Long-acting oral weekly risperidone (LYN-005) for schizophrenia in the USA (STARLYNG-1): a multicentre, open-label, non-randomised phase 3 trial.

The lancet. Psychiatry
Authors
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Medication non-adherence and insufficiently managed disease worsen outcomes in people with schizophrenia. We aimed to compare the bioavailability of a long-acting oral weekly formulation of risperidone, LYN-005, with daily oral risperidone at steady state.METHODS: In this open-label, non-randomised, phase 3 trial, clinically stable participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were enrolled from five sites across the USA while residing in an inpatient facility for 5 weeks (with the exception of days 9-13). After a 7-day run-in period with immediate-release risperidone (2 mg or 6 mg), participants received five doses of long-acting oral weekly LYN-005 (15 mg or 45 mg, respectively), with a supplemental half dose of daily immediate-release risperidone during week 1. Primary endpoints compared pharmacokinetic parameters of LYN-005 (minimum concentration [C] at weeks 1 and 5, and maximum concentration [C] and average concentration [C] at week 5) with those of immediate-release risperidone on the last day of the run-in period. Prespecified primary endpoint criteria were geometric mean ratios for C at week 1 and week 5 (90% CI ≥0·8), C at week 5 (90% CI ≤1·25), and C at week 5 (0·8 ≤90% CI ≤1·4). No people with lived experience were involved in the study design. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05779241, and has been completed.FINDINGS: Between April 13, 2023 and Dec 1, 2023, 83 participants were enrolled in the study (62 [75%] male and 21 [25%] female; 67 [81%] Black or African American, mean age 49·3 years [SD 11·5]), of whom 47 participants completed the 5-week study. In the pharmacokinetic analysis (n=44), sustained release of the active moiety was observed across all doses of LYN-005. Geometric mean ratios of LYN-005 versus immediate-release risperidone were 1·02 (90% CI 0·93-1·12) for C at week 1, and 1·04 (90% CI 0·87-1·23), 0·84 (0·77-0·92), and 1·03 (0·93-1·13) for C, C, and C, respectively, at week 5 and met predetermined criteria. In individuals taking LYN-005 (n=67), gastrointestinal treatment-emergent adverse events were most common (44 [66%] participants), with one serious treatment-emergent adverse event reported.INTERPRETATION: Weekly LYN-005 provided sustained release of risperidone at therapeutic concentrations with similar bioavailability to immediate-release risperidone. Patients remained clinically stable and no unexpected safety signals emerged. This offers a novel long-acting oral drug delivery technology for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.FUNDING: Lyndra Therapeutics.

Year of Publication
2025
Journal
The lancet. Psychiatry
Volume
12
Issue
7
Pages
504-512
Date Published
07/2025
ISSN
2215-0374
DOI
10.1016/S2215-0366(25)00135-X
PubMed ID
40506209
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