Written By: Nikita Jha, BPharm
Reviewed By: Pharmacally Editorial Team
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that its antipsychotic medicine REXULTI® (brexpiprazole) has been newly included in the Essential Medicines List for the Ultra-Acute Phase of Disasters, developed by the Japanese Association for Disaster Medicine (JADM). The listing highlights the medicine’s potential role in supporting mental health care during the immediate aftermath of disasters.
The Essential Medicines List for the Ultra-Acute Phase of Disasters serves as a clinical reference designed to guide healthcare providers responding to emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and large-scale humanitarian crises. Medicines included in the list are selected based on their clinical utility, safety profile, and relevance to urgent medical needs encountered during disaster response.
Mental health complications frequently arise in disaster settings, including acute psychosis, severe anxiety, agitation, and stress-related disorders. Rapid disruptions to care, medication shortages, and psychological trauma can significantly worsen psychiatric symptoms. The inclusion of brexpiprazole in JADM’s disaster medicine framework suggests recognition of the need for evidence-based pharmacological options to manage acute psychiatric conditions during crisis response.
REXULTI is an atypical antipsychotic that acts as a serotonin-dopamine activity modulator. The drug is approved in multiple regions for the treatment of schizophrenia and as an adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder. By partially agonizing dopamine D2 receptors and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors, while antagonizing serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, brexpiprazole helps stabilize neurotransmitter signaling linked to mood, cognition, and behavior.
Akihiro Watanabe, chair of the JADM Pharmaceutical Affairs Committee, emphasized the importance of supporting vulnerable populations during disasters, noting that the inclusion of REXULTI is expected to enhance the quality of psychiatric care, ease the burden on caregivers and responders, and help maintain patient dignity, particularly for individuals with dementia.
Brexpiprazole was jointly developed by Otsuka and Lundbeck and has been marketed globally under the brand name REXULTI. The drug’s pharmacological profile, including its receptor activity and tolerability characteristics, has contributed to its adoption across various psychiatric indications.
Reference
REXULTI ® Listed in the “Essential Medicines List for the Ultra-Acute Phase of Disasters” by the Japanese Association for Disaster Medicine, 13 February 2026, https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/newsreleases/2026/20260213_1.html