New approach for treatment of schizophrenia
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An investigational, phase II study published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine demonstrates that for the first time in humans a drug that acts on certain proteins in the brain called mGlu2/3 has antipsychotic activity. The study was sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY).
In this study - a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial - patients were assigned to four weeks of treatment with either Lilly's investigational compound LY2140023; olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic medication that targets dopamine and serotonin receptors as an active control; or placebo. The study demonstrated that:
-- LY2140023 and olanzapine showed statistically significant improvement
versus placebo in PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), the
most common scale used for measuring symptoms of patients with
schizophrenia. Both groups showed a rapid response, within one week.
-- Treatment with LY2140023 was not observed to have certain adverse
events that often occur with currently approved schizophrenia
medications, including increased prolactin elevations, extrapyramidal
symptoms (involuntary movements or muscle stiffness), or weight gain.
-- Overall, LY2140023 40 mg given twice daily was found to be safe and
well-tolerated, with most adverse events being mild-to-moderate in
severity and not treatment-limiting.
"These data provide compelling new evidence that mGlu2/3 receptor
agonists have antipsychotic properties and may provide a completely new
therapeutic approach for treating schizophren
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