Antipsychotic News and Research

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Antipsychotics are medicines used to treat the symptoms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic-depressive illness), anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sometimes medications are used with other treatments such as psychotherapy.

Antipsychotic drug quandary for Alzheimer’s patients

Stopping treatment with risperidone to limit side effects risks the return of psychosis or agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease who have been taking the drug to suppress such symptoms, research shows.

23 Oct 2012

PUFA levels reduced in schizophrenia patients

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit reduced red blood cell levels of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids , results from a systematic review and meta-analysis show.

18 Oct 2012

Cytokine levels altered in FEP, schizophrenia patients

Levels of certain cytokines are altered in patients with first-episode psychosis and patients with schizophrenia, research shows.

17 Oct 2012

PUFA levels reduced in schizophrenia patients

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit reduced red blood cell levels of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids, results from a systematic review and meta-analysis show.

16 Oct 2012

Antipsychotic drug exposure may have neurologic consequences

French researchers report an increased risk for Parkinson’s disease in elderly people who have past exposure to neuroleptic drugs.

16 Oct 2012

Brain size reduced in schizophrenia patients

Medicated and antipsychotic-naive patients with schizophrenia show significant reductions in brain volume, researchers report.

12 Oct 2012

PUFA levels reduced in schizophrenia patients

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis show that erythrocyte membrane concentrations of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids are reduced in the brains of people with schizophrenia.

9 Oct 2012

Research roundup: Limited savings found from ACOs; Examining men's health racial disparities

A Simulation Shows Limited Savings From Meeting Quality Targets Under The Medicare Shared Savings Program -- The health law rewards accountable care organizations (ACOs), groups of health care providers working together to save money and increase quality. Those providers then share in the savings.

6 Oct 2012

Heart attacks linked with mortality risk in people with schizophrenia

The risk of death resulting from heart attack is higher in people with schizophrenia than in the general public, according to scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).

4 Oct 2012

New spontaneous genetic mutations play a significant role in schizophrenia

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified dozens of new spontaneous genetic mutations that play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia, adding to the growing list of genetic variants that can contribute to the disease.

4 Oct 2012

Roundup: Individual mandate back on Fla. ballot; More Mass. doctors embrace new payment methods; Ga. hospital tax fight rages on

In a bid to remake Florida's judiciary, Republicans are asking voters to oust three state Supreme Court justices and give the Legislature greater power over Supreme Court appointments. ... In Florida, the issue is not same-sex marriage but another politically divisive matter: President Obama's health care law. In a 2010 ruling, the Florida Supreme Court removed from the ballot a nonbinding amendment allowing Floridians to refuse to buy mandatory health insurance.

4 Oct 2012

Executive attention deficits identified in first-episode schizophrenia

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia have impairments in executive attention but not in alerting or orienting attention, suggest findings published in Bipolar Disorders.

3 Oct 2012

Cannabis abuse in FEP patients predicts poor symptom control

Patients with first-episode psychosis and comorbid cannabis abuse are at high risk for poor symptom control even when on medication, suggest findings published in Schizophrenia Research.

1 Oct 2012

BioLineRx’s BL-1020 safe and effective in treating schizophrenia

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today the publication of results from the Phase II EAGLE clinical trial for BL-1020, a first in class, orally available, GABA-enhanced antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia, showing that BL-1020 is safe and effective in improving schizophrenia, in addition to improving cognitive impairment associated with this condition.

28 Sep 2012

Study indicates the amounts paid by antipsychotic manufacturers to D.C. Medicaid psychiatrists

The D.C. Department of Health (DOH) has released a study by George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services (SPHHS) indicating the high levels of marketing by antipsychotic drug manufacturers to Medicaid psychiatrists in the District of Columbia.

27 Sep 2012

First-episode schizophrenia patients show widespread cognitive deficits

Antipsychotic-naïve patients with a first-episode of schizophrenia show deficits in all cognitive domains compared with mentally healthy individuals, researchers report.

26 Sep 2012

Insufficient evidence to support medical intervention use in young adults with autism

Vanderbilt University researchers are reporting today that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of medical interventions in adolescents and young adults with autism.

25 Sep 2012

BioLineRx receives U.S. patent allowance for BL-1020 to treat schizophrenia

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today that a Notice of Allowance has been received from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) claiming the crystalline form of BL-1020, a first-in-class orally available treatment for schizophrenia.

24 Sep 2012

Don’t take psychoactive drugs and drive

Taking benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and Z-drugs significantly increases the risk for a motor vehicle accident, report Taiwanese researchers.

21 Sep 2012

Drugs to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia may increase risk of driving accident

Drugs prescribed to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia may increase patients’ risk of being involved in motor vehicle accidents, according to a recent study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Based on the findings, the researchers suggested doctors should consider advising patients not to drive while taking these drugs.

13 Sep 2012