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Encouraging trials for new schizophrenia drug
A new schizophrenia drug's first trial in human patients has produced promising results, it has been reported.
A study in Nature Medicine journal found that the drug LY2140023, developed by drug firm Eli Lilly and Company, treated the disease's symptoms as effectively as olanzapine, an existing antipsychotic drug. However, the new drug was not found to cause side-effects such as muscle tremors and weight gain, which are common with existing medication.
Unlike conventional antipsychotic drugs that act on dopamine and serotonin receptors, LY2140023 targets glutamates in the brain.
Scientists have long known about the link between schizophrenia and glutamates' role in nerve-cell communication, and earlier work by the same researchers showed that drugs acting on glutamates appeared to have an antipsychotic effect in rats. However, this trial is the first to show that the same may be true in humans.
Speaking to BBC News, Paul Corry of mental health charity Rethink commented: 'We are pleased that there are promising results from this research that may lead to the development of a third generation of drug treatments for schizophrenia.'
Category: Healthcare
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