INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The investigational schizophrenia drug LY2140023 may effectively reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia without causing any of the side effects seen with older therapies.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Sept. 7 -- The investigational schizophrenia drug LY2140023 may effectively reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia without causing any of the side effects seen with older therapies.
A phase II proof-of-concept study showed that patients who took LY2140023 or olanzapine (Zyprexa) showed greater improvements on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), compared with their counterparts who received placebo, according to results reported online in Nature Medicine.
Moreover, the experimental drug did not appear to cause the adverse effects associated with approved schizophrenia drugs including prolactin elevation, extrapyramidal symptoms, and weight gain, said the researchers, led by Sandeep T. Patil, of Eli Lilly and Company, manufacturer of the drug.
During the four-week trial, 200 patients in Russian mental institutions were randomized to receive LY2140023 (40 mg given twice a day), olanzapine (15 mg daily), or placebo. Patients in both the active treatment arms responded within one week (P