A drug recently approved to treat schizophrenia may one day be prescribed to patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are testing whether Cobenfi can effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease-induced psychosis. However, we still have a long way to go to see if it will be approved as a treatment option for this particular condition.
Cobenfi was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late September for use in the treatment of schizophrenia. There is quite a bit of hype about this drug, which is described as follows: “First new approach” Decades of treatment for schizophrenia.
Strictly speaking, it is not one, but two drugs: zanomeline and trospium. Zanomeline was first developed in the 1990s and tested in Alzheimer’s patients. looks like Improves cognitive function and reduces psychotic symptoms. But it caused troubling side effects in many patients, including nausea and vomiting, so it was postponed, at least temporarily. Trospium is a muscarinic receptor inhibitor that cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, so adding this drug to the mixture reduces unpleasant side effects in the body.
Cobenfy has generated a lot of buzz because it applies a new mechanism to treat schizophrenia, targeting muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in cell membranes. Specifically, it targets two of these receptors, M4 and M1.
Although Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia are completely different diseases, they have overlapping symptoms such as paranoia. more than half Some people with Alzheimer’s disease develop psychotic symptoms.
Cobenfy was first developed by Karuna Therapeutics. purchased by New Jersey pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS); The company is currently conducting clinical trials to see if the drug could benefit people experiencing psychosis as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.
According to biopharma divethe company plans to begin late-stage testing next. In 2026, they project with collected results from two trials involving approximately 800 people with psychosis caused by Alzheimer’s disease. According to PharmavoiceIf successful, the drug is thought to generate even more sales from Alzheimer’s patients than from schizophrenia patients.
alzheimer’s disease association It is estimated that 6.9 people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease. This is a very complex condition and there is currently no cure. But researchers have recently discovered new possibilities that could pave the way for better treatments in the future, from new theories that could change the way we think about disease to new treatments, including drugs and gene therapy. We have announced an exciting new development.
[H/t Nature.]
