The drug, called “Cobenfy” and developed by the American pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb, works differently from current treatments, as it targets so-called cholinergic receptors, not dopamine receptors.
The drug is the first approved antipsychotic to target receptors in the brain and body associated with the cholinergic neurotransmitter system, which plays a major role in learning, memory, digestion, heart rate control, blood pressure, movement and other functions.
“This drug takes the first new approach to treating schizophrenia in decades,” Tiffany Farcione, a senior official at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said in a statement on Thursday. “This approval provides a new alternative to antipsychotic medications previously prescribed for people with schizophrenia.”
Schizophrenia is known as a serious mental illness that affects about one in 300 people worldwide, and it is a condition that affects the way people think, feel and behave. It can lead to a combination of hallucinations, delusion, and disorganized thinking and behavior.
Lynsey Bilsland, who heads the mental health department at the Wellcome Foundation, said that Cobinvi could be a “game-changer, especially for those for whom other medications do not work.” It works in a completely different way than any other medications currently used to treat schizophrenia. “It has the potential to change the lives of millions of people.”
Schizophrenia is usually treated with antipsychotics. While these medications can be effective in managing symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, they do not treat other life-limiting symptoms such as social withdrawal and memory problems.
Cobinvi seems to have the ability to treat all of these symptoms.
The drug “Cobinfi”, whose scientific name is “xanomeline” and “trospium chloride”, is taken orally.
Two clinical trials have confirmed its effectiveness, showing that it can significantly reduce patients’ symptoms.
Side effects of the drug include nausea, vomiting, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, urinary retention, and liver problems. But compared to current medications, these side effects are “reduced,” according to Matt Jones, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Bristol in England.
“It’s obviously great news for people living with schizophrenia,” he said.
Source: Medical Express
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2024-10-01 19:20:36
