First New Schizophrenia Treatment

First New Schizophrenia Treatment in Decades – Is This the Miracle Patients Have Been Waiting For?

When it comes to talking about mental disorders, all we receive is silence. Sadly, the amount of funding that is going into mental health disorder research is not enough. 

We have all heard about Schizophrenia, right? Have you ever thought what Schizophrenia patients go through? 

Imagine having thousands of voices in your head trying to take control of yourself, isn’t that terrifying? Losing control of your thoughts, your actions? 

Mental disorders are something that’s not visible to others, it’s very difficult to talk to about something that is so important, but the fear of being judged by others always remains. 

But well everyone is not silent, the US Food and Drug Administration just approved a new drug for schizophrenia. 

It’s quite surprising that 2.8 million people in America are affected by this disorder and the existing drugs fail to combat most of the symptoms or have life-altering side effects, which is why the need for new drugs becomes even more important.

The newly developed drug is known as, Cobenfy. Developed by US pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb. It works differently from existing treatments, as

it targets the cholinergic receptors, not the dopamine receptors. It is the first drug developed for schizophrenia in decades.

Tiffany Farchoine a top official in The US Food & Drug Administration said “This drug takes the first new approach to schizophrenia treatment in decades”.

The most common symptoms of Schizophrenia are hallucinations, delusions, and difficulty in controlling one’s thoughts, sometimes these symptoms become so overpowering on the affected patient, that they can’t bear with it and decide to attempt suicide, almost 5% of the affected patients die by suicide.

Lynsey Bilsland, who heads the mental health division of the Wellcome charitable foundation, said Cobenfy could be “game-changing, especially for those for whom other drugs do not work.”

Xanomeline and trospium chloride are the scientific name of the drug and is taken orally. Two clinical trials have been conducted so far, and the effectiveness of the drug in reducing patient symptoms has been confirmed. Certain side effects like nausea, vomiting, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, urinary retention, and liver problems have been identified.

Matt Jones, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Bristol in England said that in comparison to the currently available drugs, Cobenfy has reduced symptoms. 

The initial efficacy measure, according to the regulators, In five weeks of trials, the participants who received Cobenfy experienced a notable reduction in symptoms from the beginning to the five weeks, which was measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome scale, as compared to the placebo group.

Even though the development of Cobenfy is a massive step towards a better life for Schizophrenia patients it’s not enough. More and more research and new treatments are required for various mental health disorders. 

Diluxi Arya
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