APA: Novel Antipsychotic Promising for Schizophrenia

The experimental psychotropic agent lurasidone appeared effective in acute schizophrenia, according to the first phase III data on the drug.

The intermediate 80-mg dose of the novel compound significantly improved total scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) by about eight points more than placebo over six weeks of treatment in the randomized controlled trial.

However, the 40- and 120-mg per day doses did not appear better than placebo for either the primary or secondary endpoints in the trial, Antony Loebel, Ph.D., of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma America in Fort Lee, N.J., and colleagues found.

All doses appeared to be well tolerated with little impact on weight and lipids, they reported here at the American Psychiatric Association meeting.

Lurasidone is part of the pipeline of psychotropics that have been called the "me-too" medications. It has high affinity for dopamine (D2) and serotonin 5-HT2A receptors.

But Dr. Loebel highlighted its uniqueness among psychotropics in affinity for serotonin receptors implicated in the enhancement of cognition, mood, and negative symptoms (5-HT7, 5-HT1A and alpha-2c).

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Depression Diversity: Brain Studies Reveal Big Differences Among Individuals

Depressed people may have far fewer of the receptors for some of the brain's "feel good" stress-response chemicals than non-depressed people, new University of Michigan Depression Center research shows. Scans show untreated depressed people have fewer serotonin and opioid receptors, and that variation is linked to symptoms and treatment response.

And even among depressed people, the numbers of these receptors can vary greatly. What's more, the number of receptors a depressed person has appears to be linked with the severity of their symptoms - and the chances that they'll feel better after taking a medication.

These preliminary findings, presented Tuesday at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., amplify a growing understanding of depression as a condition that affects different people in different ways, and is solidly rooted in genetic and molecular factors that are unique to each individual.

The lead U-M researcher, Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D., says these new results bolster what other researchers have been finding in recent years.

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