Investigational antipsychotic offers new MOA

A treatment with a new mechanism of action for treating schizophrenia may be on the horizon. A phase II investigational agent that targets metabotropic glutamate 2/3 (mGlu2/3) receptors has demonstrated antipsychotic activity. LY2140023, from Eli Lilly, has shown promising results in a clinical trial where patients were assigned to four weeks of treatment with either LY2140023, olanzapine (Zyprexa, Lilly), or placebo. Both the investigational agent and olanzapine showed a statistically significant improvement versus placebo on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), a scale commonly used to evaluate symptoms of schizophrenia. According to researchers, the findings provide evidence that the mGlu2/3 receptor agonists have antipsychotic properties and could lead to a new therapeutic approach to treating neuropsychiatric disorders. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

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