Commentary on: Anderson KE, Stamler D, Davis MD, et al. Deutetrabenazine for treatment of involuntary movements in patients with tardive dyskinesia (AIM-TD): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2017 Aug;4(8):595–604.
Tardive dyskinesia (TD), characterised by involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk and extremities, is thought to be a generally irreversible consequence of the use of dopamine receptor blocking agents and is not rare. The introduction of second-generation antipsychotics has not eliminated TD. Vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT2) inhibition has been known to reduce TD, as observed with tetrabenazine, but tetrabenazine has been relatively complex to use because of its short half-life and sensitivity to CYP2D6 metabolism.