Olanzapine Teva

Product Overview

About Olanzapine Teva

Olanzapine Teva is a medicine containing the active substance olanzapine. It is available as tablets (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15 and 20 mg) and as ‘orodispersible’ tablets (5, 10, 15 and 20 mg). Orodispersible tablets are tablets that dissolve in the mouth. Olanzapine Teva is a ‘generic medicine’. This means that Olanzapine Teva is similar to ‘reference medicines’ already authorised in the European Union (EU) called Zyprexa and Zyprexa Velotab.

What it is used for

Olanzapine Teva is used to treat adults with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that has a number of symptoms including disorganised thinking and speech, hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that are not there), suspiciousness and delusions (mistaken beliefs). Olanzapine Teva is also effective in maintaining improvement in patients who have responded to an initial course of treatment. Olanzapine Teva is also used to treat moderate to severe manic episodes (extremely high mood) in adults. It can also be used to prevent the recurrence of these episodes (when symptoms come back) in adults with bipolar disorder (a mental illness causing alternating periods of high mood and depression) who have responded to an initial course of treatment. The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

How it is used

The recommended starting dose of Olanzapine Teva depends on the disease being treated: 10 mg per day is used in schizophrenia and in the prevention of manic episodes, and 15 mg per day in the treatment of manic episodes, unless it is used with other medicines, in which case the starting dose can be 10 mg per day. The dose is adjusted depending on how well the patient responds to and tolerates the treatment. The usual dose range is between 5 and 20 mg per day. The orodispersible tablets, which can be used as an alternative to the tablets, are taken by being placed on the tongue, where they disintegrate quickly in the saliva, or by mixing them in water before swallowing. Patients over 65 years of age and patients who have problems with their liver or kidneys may need a lower starting dose of 5 mg per day.

How it works

The active substance in Olanzapine Teva, olanzapine, is an antipsychotic medicine. It is known as an ‘atypical’ antipsychotic because it is different from the older antipsychotic medicines that have been available since the 1950s. Its exact mechanism of action is unknown, but it attaches to several receptors on the surface of nerve cells in the brain. This disrupts signals transmitted between brain cells by ‘neurotransmitters’, chemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other. It is thought that olanzapine’s beneficial effect is due to it blocking receptors for the neurotransmitters 5-hydroxytryptamine (also called serotonin) and dopamine. Since these neurotransmitters are involved in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, olanzapine helps to normalise the activity of the brain, reducing the symptoms of these diseases.

Active substance: olanzapine

Source: EMA EPAR