Schizophrenia News

Antipsychotic use was associated with a dose-dependent increased risk for acute respiratory failure among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to recent findings.

Newron Pharmaceuticals recently announced positive phase 2a study findings for Evenamide, an oral sodium channel blocker, in individuals with schizophrenia.

Among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, major depressive disorder with psychosis and bipolar disorder with psychosis, impaired social functioning was most common in schizophrenia.

Recent findings indicated a causal effect of cannabis initiation on schizophrenia risk, suggesting schizophrenia risk may predict cannabis initiation and not vice versa.

In 2014, an estimated 43.6 million adults aged 18 years or older, or 18.1% of all U.S. adults, had any mental illness in the past year, excluding substance use disorders, according to the NIMH.

Research has shown a complicated and sometimes uncertain relationship between infectious diseases and mental health. The relationship is sometimes bidirectional, as in the case of HIV, which can be both the cause of neurocognitive disorders in infected patients and a consequence of risky behaviors associated with an already established mental illness. Infections also have been implicated as the root cause of mental health disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The Treatment Response and Resistance in Psychosis working group recently published recommendations for diagnostic and terminology criteria for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced the initiation of a global phase 2 program for SEP-363856, a psychotropic agent with a non-D2 mechanism of action, for psychosis in schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.

Otsuka and Lundbeck recently announced the FDA accepted a supplemental New Drug Application to expand labeling of Abilify Maintena for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder in adults.

Bitopertin, a selective GlyT1-mediated glycine-reuptake inhibitor, may be modestly effective for adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia among individuals with suboptimal response to antipsychotics, according to recent findings.