Scientists Identify Effective New Treatment for Schizophrenia

December 14, 2007 at 7:46 PM Mental Health News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
Scientists Identify Effective New Treatment for Schizophrenia
Scientists have made an advancement in identifying an effective new treatment for schizophrenia.

The study led by Dr. Stephen Marder examined the effectiveness of paliperidone extended-release (ER) tablets, a new drug that orally delivers active metabolite of the drug risperidone.

Marder and his colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of the new psychotropic agent in a 6-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on 444 patients experiencing an acute episode of schizophrenia.

During this time, the patients were monitored for side effects, and their symptom improvement assessed.

Dr Marder said that the findings revealed that two doses of paliperidone extended release tablets were effective and improved the functioning.

“This double-blind study found that two doses of paliperidone extended release tablets were more effective than placebo for treating the symptoms of acute schizophrenia,” said Dr Marder.

“Patients receiving the most effective dose of paliperidone also demonstrated improvements in their social functioning,” he added.

Jeffrey A. Lieberman, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute said that the study exhibits efficacy of the metabolite and provides another treatment option.

“This study demonstrates the efficacy of the 9-hydroxy metabolite of risperidone that has antipsychotic efficacy and an acceptable safety profile which provides psychiatrists with yet another treatment option. It has practical advantages with its long half life, duration of action and extended release formulation,” said Lieberman.

However, Dr. Lieberman cautioned that the finding is not “a novel or breakthrough treatment and does not provide major differences or advantages over existing treatments.

Source-ANI
SRM/P

 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
More News on: Schizophrenia
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
Schizophrenia
Complete Medindia Resources
News Categories:  
Sexual Health Center

Mental Health Related News

» Improvement Of Physical Self By Training The Brain » Conquering Arachnophobia
» Simple 10-Min Test to Diagnose Alzheimer's Disease and Prevent Severe Brain Damage » Study Finds Drop in PTSD Incidence Among Troops
» Link Between Cellular Metabolism and Anxiety Disorders » Winter Born may Have Greater Risk of Developing Mental Disorders
» Study Reveals A Walk in the Park can Give Mental Boost to People With Depression » New Therapy To Treat Depression
Read More >>