Scientists say new schizophrenia drug could 'change the lives of millions of people'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Scientists have said a new schizophrenia drug "has the potential to change the lives of millions of people". The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the new drug Cobenfy, which is owned by pharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb.

The new drug officers a completely new approach to treating the condition, which can cause terrifying hallucinations, delusional thoughts and social withdrawal. READ MORE: READ MORE: House hunters 'scared' after spotting strange room inside quirky £1.5m Greater Manchester pad The FDA's approval was based on data from two studies.

They showed patients experienced fewer schizophrenia symptoms. The University of Oxford has said it will start a trial on the compound next year - but the drug is already being hailed by UK scientists.

Dr Lynsey Bilsland, head of mental health translation at Wellcome in the UK, which funded early studies into Cobenfy, said: "It works in a completely different way from any other currently used schizophrenia drugs." "It has the potential to change the lives of millions of people." "Schizophrenia is commonly treated with antipsychotics." "While these can be effective in managing symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, they do not address other life-limiting symptoms such as social withdrawal and memory problems." "Cobenfy has the potential to address all of the above symptoms and also has fewer side-effects such as sleepiness and weight gain and therefore could be game-changing, especially for those for whom other drugs do not work." "Wellcome supports mental health research to drive transformation in early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis." "Cobenfy is an outstanding example of how science can drive forward more effective mental