A new drug that attacks schizophrenia in a completely novel manner seems to be safe for patients. There is an added benefit of reduced side effects compared to established drugs used to treat the disease, researchers reported on Monday.
Eli Lilly compared the older drug Zyprexa with the new compound (not yet named) and found it did not alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia quite so well, but also did not produce a lot of the side effects. Older drugs produced side effects such as hormonal fluctuations, weight gain and cholesterol increases.
Presumably testing and development will continue, with the goal of increasing the effectiveness while retaining the diminished side effects.
