Could this medicine revolutionise schizophrenia treatment?

Patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia or who are affected by significant adverse effects from antipsychotics may soon have a treatment which works on an entirely different mechanism of action.

Schizophrenia affects between 150,000 and 200,000 Australians (one in 100), with over a third (34%) of patients experiencing treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS).

Patients treated with antipsychotics are often beset by adverse effects, varying from minor tolerability issues such as mild sedation and dry mouth to disfiguring changes including severe weight gain and tardive dyskinesia. Those with TRS prescribed clozapine can also face the rare but life-threatening risk of developing myocarditis or agranulocytosis.

But the first new antipsychotic to be released on the market in decades could help to change this, potentially having life-changing impacts on patients with schizophrenia.

Cobenfy, which targets the cholinergic neurotransmitter system, was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Australian Pharmacist sat down with Arthur Christopoulos FAA FAHMS FPS, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University, to discuss how the medicine works, whether it will appear on the Australian market and what else is the pipeline that could transform our approach to mental ill health.

Watch the video below to find out more.