Lilly's Schizophrenia Drug Targets Different Brain Chemicals

Eli Lilly and Co.'s experimental schizophrenia drug, which may replace its top-selling Zyprexa, was just as effective without causing patients to gain weight, according to a study.

Unlike other schizophrenia medicines on the market, the new compound doesn't target dopamine, a chemical that functions within the brain's reward system. It affects glutamate, involved in learning and memory. The study showed the new drug candidate to be as effective as Zyprexa in reducing symptoms such as hallucinations and social withdrawal.

The new drug candidate, dubbed LY2140023, would be the first for the disorder affecting glutamates, a company official said. Zyprexa, with $4.3 billion in 2006 sales, now faces competition from less expensive copies in Canada and Germany, the Indianapolis-based company said on June 8. The drug's U.S. patent expires in 2011.

``Discovering an antipsychotic drug that doesn't work through dopamine is the holy grail of drug development,'' said Gerald Marek, Lilly's chief scientific officer of psychiatric disorders, in an Aug. 30 telephone interview. ``It looks like we've hit upon a target that will ultimately do this.''

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