Following a recent clinical trial, a new drug has been found to help in the treatment of schizophrenia.

The drug – called brexpiprazole – was found to be safe and effective in helping to treat acute exacerbation of schizophrenia, following results from a 6-week trial in America.

When 2 mg and 4 mg doses of brexipiprazole were taken by patients once every day researchers catalogued a series of improvements in their condition when compared to the results from test subjects given the placebo.

Brexpiprazole has an impact on serotonin and dopamine activity in the body and was originally created to improve on the results achieved by an existing drug prescribed for the condition – aripiprazole – which was introduced 13 years ago.

Brexpiprazole is intended to cause less side effects like the akathisia, insomnia, and restlessness associated with aripiprazole.

The team responsible for the study stated that control of broad symptoms needs to be achieved in order to effectively treat schizophrenia.

They also acknowledged that second-generation antipsychotics, which target positive symptoms in order to have an effect, are often associated with various adverse consequences that can alter metabolic rates and lead to weight gain, sedation, restlessness/akathisia, extrapyramidal symptoms, and adverse sexual side effects.

Following the release of the data collected regarding brexpiprazole, and its promising results, the team said: “New treatments that are better tolerated are needed to optimize physical health as well as social functioning”.

Full findings from the study were published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry.