Huntington's Chorea Treatments Compared
3 FDA-approved drugs, side by side from the current prescribing labels. Newest label Apr 2026. Checked October 12, 2026.
Three drugs are FDA approved to treat chorea, the involuntary movements of Huntington's disease: tetrabenazine (Xenazine and generics), Austedo (deutetrabenazine) and Ingrezza (valbenazine). All 3 block VMAT2 to calm movements; none slows the disease, and all carry a boxed warning about depression and suicidal thoughts. Ingrezza and Austedo XR are taken once a day, while tetrabenazine is usually taken 2 to 3 times a day and needs a CYP2D6 gene test above 50 mg. Each was tested against placebo for 12 weeks on the same 0 to 28 chorea score, improving it 2.5 to 3.5 points more than placebo, but the trials enrolled different people and never compared the drugs directly.
3 approved Huntington's chorea treatments at a glance
How each drug is given, how often, who it is approved for and when it was first approved, from the current FDA label.
A year on each Huntington's chorea treatment
Every dose in a year, drawn to the label schedule, so you can see at a glance how often each one is given.
Counts follow the label schedule for a full year on the maintenance dose. Drugs given in cycles or adjusted to blood tests have no fixed count, so their schedule is written out instead.
What the pivotal Huntington's chorea trials showed
The primary result from the trial each FDA approval rests on, as reported on the label.
Huntington Disease treatment side effects and warnings
Xenazine, Austedo and Austedo XR and Ingrezza and Ingrezza Sprinkle carry a boxed warning, the FDA's strongest. The rest list their main precautions. Side effect rates show how many people in each drug's trials reported each one, whether or not the drug caused it.
Help paying for Huntington's chorea treatment
Drugmaker copay and free-drug programs, plus charity funds for the condition, checked every week.
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Huntington Disease treatment questions people ask
Ingrezza vs Austedo for Huntington's chorea: what is the difference?
Both block VMAT2 to reduce chorea and both carry the same boxed warning about depression and suicidality.
How taken: Ingrezza is a capsule once a day with or without food, and Ingrezza Sprinkle can be opened onto soft food. Austedo XR is once a day; Austedo tablets are twice a day with food.
Trials: Ingrezza improved the chorea score 4.6 points against 1.4 on placebo; Austedo 4.4 against 1.9. They were never tested against each other.
Common side effects: sleepiness in 19% on Ingrezza and 11% on Austedo in their Huntington's trials.
More: Ingrezza drug page and Austedo drug page
Source: FDA label for Ingrezza, DailyMed; FDA label for Austedo, DailyMed
Is there a generic for Huntington's chorea medicine?
Yes, tetrabenazine, the original brand Xenazine, is sold as a generic by many makers. Austedo and Ingrezza have no generics; each is sold only by its maker, Teva and Neurocrine.
More: tetrabenazine drug page
Source: FDA label for Xenazine, DailyMed
Can you switch from tetrabenazine to Austedo?
Yes. The Austedo label says to stop tetrabenazine and start Austedo or Austedo XR the next day, using a conversion table in the label to pick the starting dose. The switch is planned with a doctor.
More: Austedo drug page
Source: FDA label for Austedo, DailyMed
Do these drugs slow Huntington's disease?
No. Ingrezza, Austedo and tetrabenazine reduce chorea, the involuntary movements, but do not slow the disease, and chorea returned to its starting level within 1 to 2 weeks of stopping in each trial. Treatments that aim to slow Huntington's itself, such as the gene therapy AMT-130, are still in development.
More: Huntington's chorea treatments and AMT-130
Source: FDA label for Ingrezza, DailyMed; FDA label for Austedo, DailyMed; FDA label for Xenazine, DailyMed
Why do these drugs carry a warning about depression?
People with Huntington's disease already have a higher risk of depression and suicide, and VMAT2 inhibitors can raise it further. All 3 labels carry a boxed warning and ask doctors, patients and families to watch for new or worse depression, suicidal thoughts or unusual changes in behavior, and to report them right away. In tetrabenazine's trial, depression was reported in 19% on the drug against 0% on placebo.
Source: FDA label for Xenazine, DailyMed; FDA label for Ingrezza, DailyMed
More on Huntington Disease at Trial Friend
Where every number on this page comes from
Approved-drug facts are from the current FDA prescribing information on DailyMed, with the label's effective date. Investigational-drug facts are from ClinicalTrials.gov and the sources named in each row.
- Xenazine (tetrabenazine (generics from several makers)) prescribing information, Lundbeck; generics from several makers, label dated Nov 2019. DailyMed
- Austedo and Austedo XR (deutetrabenazine) prescribing information, Teva, label dated Feb 2025. DailyMed
- Ingrezza and Ingrezza Sprinkle (valbenazine) prescribing information, Neurocrine Biosciences, label dated Apr 2026. DailyMed. Pivotal trial: ClinicalTrials.gov
This page compares what the FDA labels and pivotal trials report. It is not medical advice, and no trial on this page compared these drugs with each other. Written and checked by Jason Hunter; the method is on the editorial standards page.