Psychiatry in the News: Week of March 30th

News in psychiatry last week included changes in psychiatric services around the world and psychopharmacology data.

Closure of HIV Psychiatry Clinic in Sydney. The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney has closed its HIV psychiatry clinic following multiple psychiatrist resignations; the closure reportedly will impact approximately 200 patients. This closure will also impact patients with eating disorders and patients in the pain clinic.

Although patients are being referred to nearby Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, health care professionals and patient advocacy groups have voiced concern about how this will impact individuals with HIV. ​“As a group [patients with HIV are] not only more at risk because of the psychosocial factors of being a marginalised community, but the virus itself creates cognitive changes,” Dr Suzanna Goodison, one of the psychiatrists who resigned, told the press.

May N. RPA hospital closes HIV psychiatry clinic with 200 patients after staff resignations. . April 3, 2025.

Spain Considers National Mental Health Action Plan. On April 4, 2025, Spain's Ministry of Health, in collaboration with regional governments, approved the National Mental Health Action Plan 2025-2027. The plan was originally discussed in February, but the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SEPSM) voiced key concerns.

The plan aims to enhance mental health services nationwide and to increase the number of mental health care professionals. It also addressed the concern of overmedicalization, specifically the potential overuse of psychotropic medications. The original wording concerned the SEPSM, noting that it could "jeopardize and demonize" medications that are crucial for patients with serious mental illness. Instead, the new version provides for training on appropriate psychotropic use while looking for ways to address social determinants of mental health.

Linde P. The Ministry of Health and the regional governments approve the national mental health plan after correcting the technical details that led to its collapse. . April 4, 2025.

Positive Interim Results for Alzheimer Treatment. Roche announced promising interim phase 1/2A results for trontinemab, its novel anti-amyloid beta antibody using BrainShuttle technology. Designed to enhance drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier, trontinemab demonstrated dose-dependent reductions in amyloid plaque levels in patients with early Alzheimer disease. The results were presented at at the AD/PD 2025 International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases.

Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and head of global product development for Roche, commented in a statement to the press: “We are pleased with the progress across our [AD] portfolio as we move ahead with a phase 3 trontinemab programme and continue to expand our diagnostic solutions.”

Kuntz L. Positive Interim Results on Trontinemab Validate Brainshuttle Technology for Alzheimer Disease Treatment. Psychiatric Times. April 4, 2025.

Bysanti Moves Forward in Its Quest for Acute Bipolar I and Schizophrenia Approval. Vanda Pharmaceuticals announced it submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval of its milsaperidone agent Bysanti, also known as VHX-896 and P-88 for the treatment of patients with acute bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia. an

An active metabolite of iloperidone, Bysanti's efficacy is supported by clinical studies. Bystanti's mechanism of action involves targeting 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2 (HTR2) and D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2).

Kuntz L. New NDA Submitted: Bysanti to Treat Acute Bipolar I and Schizophrenia. Psychiatric Times. April 1, 2025.

Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting. The theme of this year's meeting is "Artificial Intelligence and Mental Health: A New Landscape for Research and Practice.” Led by SOBP President, Sophia Frangou, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, University of British Columbia, and the 2025 Program Chair, Dost Öngür, MD, PhD, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the meeting takes place April 24-26, 2025, in Toronto, Canada. The pre-meeting will discuss metabolic health in severe illness.

The American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) 2025 Annual Meeting. The meeting, which is "designed to bridge the gap between current knowledge and pharmacy practice in a number of psychiatric disorders," is being held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 27-30, 2025. Available to both virtual and in-person attendees, the conference will feature a learning lab discussing AIMS Assessment and tardive dyskinesia.