The first new schizophrenia treatment “in decades” has been approved by the U.S. drug regulator.
Antipsychotic medicines are the main form of treatment for schizophrenia. They can cause drowsiness, weight gain, tremors, and feelings of agitation.
However, clinical trials of a new drug resulted in a “meaningful reduction in [schizophrenia] symptoms,” with fewer side effects.
The main symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucinations, delusions, and disorganised behaviour, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a complex mental illness. It can cause psychosis – an altered experience of reality – which can lead to paranoia or seeing/ hearing things that are not there.
It’s estimated to affect around 1 in 300 people around the world.
Despite a “range of effective care options,” more than two in three people with psychosis “do not receive specialist mental health care,” according to the World Health Organisation.
Existing treatments
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called schizophrenia “a leading cause of disability worldwide.”
Current medications used to treat schizophrenia – antipsychotics – are designed to reduce symptoms of paranoia. They can cause blunted emotional responses, behaviour, and movements.
This is because antipsychotic medications block dopamine receptors. Dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter linked to the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.
New drug
The FDA has approved a new drug called “Cobenfy” to treat schizophrenia.
Cobenfy does not directly target dopamine receptors. Instead, it targets ‘acetylcholine’ — a neurotransmitter that carries messages from the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
Researchers conducted two rounds of five-week trials in adults diagnosed with schizophrenia. The FDA said the clinical trials identified a “meaningful reduction in symptoms” of schizophrenia.
Side effects of Cobenfy include nausea, indigestion, constipation, and diarrhoea.
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) analyses new treatments before they’re approved. ICER medical director, Dr David Rinda, said researchers are not yet certain how Cobenfy works “past five weeks”.
He said patients and doctors, “are a little wary of claims before they actually see what happens with the drugs.”
The FDA said the drug is not recommended for anyone with liver or kidney issues.
Cobenfy manufacturers, Bristol Myers Squibb, described the drug as an “entirely new pharmacological approach for schizophrenia”.
