Sunflower Health Plan AUSTEDO, Deutetrabenazine Form
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Deutetrabenazine (Austedo®, Austedo® XR) is a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2)
inhibitor.
FDA Approved Indication(s)
Austedo and Austedo XR are indicated in adults for the treatment of:
• Chorea associated with Huntington’s disease
• Tardive dyskinesia (TD) in adults
Policy/Criteria
Provider must submit documentation (such as office chart notes, lab results or other clinical
information) supporting that member has met all approval criteria.
It is the policy of health plans affiliated with Centene Corporation® that Austedo or Austedo XR
is medically necessary when the following criteria are met:
I. Initial Approval Criteria
A. Chorea Associated with Huntington Disease (must meet all):
1. Diagnosis of chorea associated with Huntington disease;
2. Prescribed by or in consultation with a neurologist;
3. Age ≥ 18 years;
4. Targeted mutation analysis demonstrates a cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG)
trinucleotide expansion of ≥ 36 repeats in the huntingtin (HTT) gene;
5. Evidence of chorea is supported by a Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale
(UHDRS) score ranging from 1 to 4 on any one of chorea items 1 through 7 (see
Appendix D);
6. Failure of tetrabenazine (e.g., no improvement on any one of UHDRS chorea items 1
through 7) at up to 100 mg per day, unless contraindicated or clinically significant
adverse effects are experienced;
7. Austedo/Austedo XR is not prescribed concurrently with tetrabenazine or Ingrezza®;
8. Dose does not exceed 48 mg per day.
Approval duration: 6 months
B. Tardive Dyskinesia (must meet all):
1. Diagnosis of TD secondary to treatment with a centrally acting dopamine receptor
blocking agent (DRBA) (see Appendix G);
2. Prescribed by or in consultation with a psychiatrist or neurologist;
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3. Age ≥ 18 years;
4. Evidence of moderate to severe TD is supported by an Abnormal Involuntary
Movement Scale (AIMS) score of 3 or 4 on any one of items 1 through 9 (see
Appendix H);
5. Failure of tetrabenazine (e.g., no improvement on any one of AIMS items 1 through
9) at up to 200 mg per day, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse
effects are experienced;
6. Austedo/Austedo XR is not prescribed concurrently with tetrabenazine or Ingrezza;
7. Dose does not exceed 48 mg per day.
Approval duration: 6 months
C. Other diagnoses/indications (must meet 1 or 2):
1. If this drug has recently (within the last 6 months) undergone a label change (e.g.,
newly approved indication, age expansion, new dosing regimen) that is not yet
reflected in this policy, refer to one of the following policies (a or b):
a. For drugs on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or PDL
(Medicaid), the no coverage criteria policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.PMN.255 for Medicaid; or
b. For drugs NOT on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or
PDL (Medicaid), the non-formulary policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.PMN.16 for Medicaid; or
2. If the requested use (e.g., diagnosis, age, dosing regimen) is NOT specifically listed
under section III (Diagnoses/Indications for which coverage is NOT authorized) AND
criterion 1 above does not apply, refer to the off-label use policy for the relevant line
of business: CP.PMN.53 for Medicaid.
II. Continued Therapy
A. All Indications in Section I (must meet all):
1. Member meets one of the following (a or b):
a. Currently receiving medication via Centene benefit or member has previously met
initial approval criteria;
b. Member is currently receiving medication and is enrolled in a state and product
with continuity of care regulations (refer to state specific addendums for
CC.PHARM.03A and CC.PHARM.03B);
2. Member meets one of the following (a or b):
a. For Huntington disease: Member is responding positively to therapy as evidenced
by a reduction since baseline in any one of UHDRS chorea items 1 through 7 (see
Appendix D);
b. For TD: Member is responding positively to therapy as evidenced by a reduction
since baseline in any one of AIMS items 1 through 9 (see Appendix H);
3. Austedo/Austedo XR is not prescribed concurrently with tetrabenazine or Ingrezza;
4. If request is for a dose increase, new dose does not exceed 48 mg per day.
Approval duration: 12 months
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B. Other diagnoses/indications (must meet 1 or 2):
1. If this drug has recently (within the last 6 months) undergone a label change (e.g.,
newly approved indication, age expansion, new dosing regimen) that is not yet
reflected in this policy, refer to one of the following policies (a or b):
a. For drugs on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or PDL
(Medicaid), the no coverage criteria policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.PMN.255 for Medicaid; or
b. For drugs NOT on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or
PDL (Medicaid), the non-formulary policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.PMN.16 for Medicaid; or
2. If the requested use (e.g., diagnosis, age, dosing regimen) is NOT specifically listed
under section III (Diagnoses/Indications for which coverage is NOT authorized) AND
criterion 1 above does not apply, refer to the off-label use policy for the relevant line
of business: CP.PMN.53 for Medicaid.
III. Diagnoses/Indications for which coverage is NOT authorized:
A. Non-FDA approved indications, which are not addressed in this policy, unless there is
sufficient documentation of efficacy and safety according to the off label use policies –
CP.PMN.53 for Medicaid or evidence of coverage documents.
IV. Appendices/General Information
Appendix A: Abbreviation/Acronym Key
AAN: American Academy of Neurology
AIMS: Abnormal Involuntary Movement
Scale
APA: American Psychiatry Association
DRBA: dopamine receptor blocking agent
DSM V: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual,
Version 5
FDA: Food and Drug Administration
HTT: huntingtin
MAOI: monoamine oxidase inhibitor
TD: tardive dyskinesia
UHDRS: Unified Huntington Disease
Rating Scale
VMAT: vesicular monoamine transporter
Appendix B: Therapeutic Alternatives
This table provides a listing of preferred alternative therapy recommended in the approval
criteria. The drugs listed here may not be a formulary agent for all relevant lines of business
and may require prior authorization.
Drug Name Dosing Regimen
Dose Limit/
Maximum Dose
25 mg/dose and 50
mg/day (37.5 mg/dose
and 100 mg/day for
CYP2D6 intermediate
or extensive
metabolizers)
200 mg/day in divided
doses
tetrabenazine
(Xenazine)
Huntington’s Chorea
12.5 mg PO QD for 1 week, then 12.5 mg BID,
then titrated by 12.5 mg weekly to a tolerated
dose up to maximum of 50 mg/day (100 mg/day
for CYP2D6 intermediate or extensive
metabolizers)
TD (off-label)
Typical dosing range (mg/day): 25-75
Comments: Give in divided doses: increase from
initial dose of 25-50 mg/day by 12.5 mg/week to
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Drug Name Dosing Regimen
Dose Limit/
Maximum Dose
maximum of 150-200 mg/day. Retitrate dose for
treatment interruptions of more than 5 days. Test
for CYP2D6 metabolizer status before giving
doses > 50 mg/day. Do not exceed 50 mg/day in
poor metabolizers or in patients treated with a
strong inhibitor of CYP2D6.
The American Psychiatric Association practice guideline
for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. 2020.
Third Ed.
Therapeutic alternatives are listed as Brand name® (generic) when the drug is available by brand name only
and generic (Brand name®) when the drug is available by both brand and generic.
Appendix C: Contraindications/Boxed Warnings
• Contraindication(s):
o Suicidal or untreated/inadequately treated depression in patients with Huntington’s
disease
o Hepatic impairment
o Taking reserpine, MAOIs, tetrabenazine or valbenazine
• Boxed warning(s): depression and suicidality in patients with Huntington’s disease
Appendix D: Chorea and the Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS)
• The UHDRS encompasses motor, behavioral, cognitive, and functional components for
use in evaluating patients with Huntington disease and is commonly used in both research
and clinical practice.
• The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guidelines evaluating pharmacologic
therapies for chorea associated with Huntington disease describe the chorea subscore of
the UHDRS motor component as a rating of 7 body regions (facial, bucco-oral-lingual,
trunk, extremities) on a five-point scale from 0 to 4 with 0 representing no chorea.
• See Huntington Study Group 1996 and Mestre et al. 2018 for additional information
about the UHDRS.
(AAN Guidelines 2012, Huntington Study Group 1996, Mestre 2018)
Appendix E: Tardive Dyskinesia General Information
• The 2020 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Practice Guideline for the Treatment
of Patients With Schizophrenia recommends that patients who have moderate to severe or
disabling TD be treated with a reversible VMAT2 inhibitor (i.e., deutetrabenazine,
tetrabenazine, and valbenazine); the guideline notes that the AIMS tool can be
instrumental in such decision-making.
• Medication-induced movement disorders, including tardive dyskinesia, are organized in
the DSM V as follows: neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism/other medication-induced
parkinsonism, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, medication-induced acute dystonia,
medication-induced acute akathisia, tardive dyskinesia, tardive dystonia/tardive akathisia,
medication-induced postural tremor, other medication-induced movement disorder,
antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, and other adverse effects of medication.
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• Tardive dyskinesia is a type of movement disorder that occurs secondary to therapy with
centrally acting DRBAs (see Appendix F). (DSM V)
• Typical therapeutic drug classes containing DRBAs include first- and second-generation
antipsychotics, antiemetics, and tri-cyclic antidepressants (see Appendix G). (DSM V)
• Other therapeutic drug classes containing agents that have been variously associated with
movement disorders are listed below: (Waln 2013, Meyer 2014, Lerner 2015)
o Antiarrhythmics
o Antibiotics
o Anticholinergics
o Antidepressants
o Antiepileptics
o Antihistamines
o Antimanics
o Bronchodilators
o Calcium channel blockers
o Central nervous system stimulants
o Dopamine agonists
o Dopamine depleting agents
o Dopaminergics
o Glucocorticoids
o Immunosuppressants
o Mood stabilizers
o Muscle relaxants
o Oral contraceptives
Appendix F: Tardive Dyskinesia: DSM-V Definition
Tardive Dyskinesia (ICD-9 333.85/ICD-10 G24.01)
•
Involuntary athetoid or choreiform movements (lasting at least a few weeks) generally
of the tongue, lower face and jaw, and extremities (but sometimes involving the
pharyngeal, diaphragmatic, or trunk muscles) developing in association with the use of
a neuroleptic medication for at least a few months.
• Symptoms may develop after a shorter period of medication use in older persons. In
some patients, movements of this type may appear after discontinuation, or after
change or reduction in dosage, of neuroleptic medications, in which case the condition
is called neuroleptic withdrawal emergent dyskinesia. Because withdrawal emergent
dyskinesia is usually time limited, lasting less than 4-8 weeks, dyskinesia that persists
beyond this window is considered to be tardive dyskinesia.
Appendix G: Tardive Dyskinesia: Centrally Acting Dopamine Receptor Blocking Agents
(Neuroleptics)
Pharmacologic Class
Tri-cyclic
antidepressants
Amoxapine†
First-generation
(typical)
antipsychotics
Chlorpromazine
Fluphenazine
Perphenazine
Thioridazine
Thiothixene
Trifluoperazine
Haloperidol
Phenothiazine
Butryophenone
Substituted benzamide
Dibenzazepine
Loxapine
Therapeutic Class
Antiemetic agents
Chlorpromazine
Perphenazine
Prochlorperazine
Promethazine*
Thiethylperazine
Droperidol
Haloperidol**
Metoclopramide
Trimethobenzamide
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Pharmacologic Class
First-generation
(typical)
antipsychotics
Therapeutic Class
Antiemetic agents
Tri-cyclic
antidepressants
Second-generation (atypical) antipsychotics
Diphenylbutylpiperidine Pimozide
Pharmacologic Class
Quinolone
Dibenzazepine
Piperazine
Dibenzodiazephine
Benzisoxazole
Benzisothiazole
Thienobenzodiazepine
Pyrimidinone
(DSM V, Meyer 2014, Smith 2010, Clinical Pharmacology, Lexicomp)
*First generation H1 antagonist
**Off-label use
†A dibenzoxapine that shares properties with phenothiazines
Aripiprazole, brexpiprazole
Asenapine
Cariprazine
Clozapine, quetiapine
Iloperidone
Lurasidone, ziprasidone
Olanzapine
Paliperidone, risperidone
Appendix H: The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS)
• The AIMS is a clinician-rated 12-item assessment tool developed by the National
Institute of Mental Health to evaluate severity of involuntary movements in multiple
movement disorders including TD. The AIMS is commonly used in both research and
clinical practice.
• AIMS items 1-10 are rated on a 5-point scale (0 - none; 1 - minimal; 2 - mild; 3 -
moderate; 4 - severe). Items 1-7 assess dyskinesia severity by body region (items 1-4
orofacial; items 5-7 extremity and trunk). Items 8-10 assess overall severity,
incapacitation, and patient awareness respectively - item 8 uses the highest score of any
one of items 1-7. Items 11 (dental) and 12 (dentures) are yes/no questions which help
characterize lip, jaw, and tongue movements.
• See Munetz 1988 for additional information about the AIMS.
V. Dosage and Administration
Indication
Huntington’s
chorea
TD
Dosing Regimen
When not switching from tetrabenazine:
Recommended starting dose
• Austedo XR: 12 mg PO QD
• Austedo: 6 mg PO BID
Titrate at weekly intervals by 6 mg/day based on
reduction of chorea or tardive dyskinesia, and
tolerability, up to a maximum recommended daily
dosage of 48 mg. When switching between Austedo
and Austedo XR, switch to the same total daily
dosage.
Maximum Dose
48 mg/day (36
mg/day in poor
CYP2D6
metabolizers or
with strong
CYP2D6
metabolizers)
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Indication
Dosing Regimen
When switching from tetrabenazine: see Prescribing
Information dosage chart
Maximum Dose
VI. Product Availability
Drug Name
Austedo
Austedo XR
Availability
Immediate-release tablets: 6 mg, 9 mg, 12 mg
Extended-release tablets: 6 mg, 12 mg, 24 mg
VII.