US approves first drug for schizophrenia in over 30 years
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat schizophrenia after over three decades.
As stated in a Sept. 26 press release, the new oral drug, Cobenfy, is a twice-daily pill created by Bristol Myers Squibb that combines xanomeline and trospium chloride, targeting cholinergic receptors that help control one’s attention and awareness.
Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental illness that affects how a person thinks and behaves. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it affects about 24 million globally and is commonly associated with “significant distress and impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational,” among others. Some of its common symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.
The first drug that was approved as a treatment for the condition is an antipsychotic, which adjusts dopamine levels to help “calm and clear confusion” of those suffering from the illness, as per the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Among its side effects are weight gain, drowsiness, and restlessness.
Cobenfy, meanwhile, treats the illness by adjusting acetylcholine, a brain chemical designated to memory, learning, and attention, as explained by psychiatrist and professor Jelena Kunovac to ABC News.
Based on the clinical trials, the new drug helped manage the common symptoms of the disease. Its side effects, meanwhile, include nausea, indigestion, constipation, vomiting, hypertension, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and increased heartbeat.
Only 6% of the patients stopped taking the pill due to its side effects. Dr. Samit Hirawat, however, told ABC News that it is a “significant improvement” from the previous 20% to 30% with the old antipsychotic drugs.
The FDA noted that this medication must not be prescribed to those with mild hepatic (liver) impairment, “urinary retention, moderate or severe kidney or liver disease, gastric retention, untreated narrow-angle glaucoma, or a history of hypersensitivity to either Cobenfy or its components.”
According to a CNBC report, executives of the global pharmaceutical company said that Cobenfy will cost $1,850 (over P103,000) for a month’s supply or $22,500 (over P1.2 million) annually, without insurance or other rebates. The media outlet reported that doctors can start prescribing it by the end of October.