Psychopharmacology of schizophrenia

Abstract

The scientific literature published after January 1997 was reviewed for this article. Much published work stems from the phase II and III development of the novel antipsychotics quetiapine, olanzapine, sertindole and ziprasidone. This includes reports on efficacy studies, but also on secondary analyses looking at affective symptoms, negative symptoms or quality of life. Adverse event profiles have been reported both from these industry sponsored studies and from independent phase IV research. All in all, the new drugs appear to have advantages over traditional antipsychotics, although more experience from postmarketing research is needed to judge the generalizability of the available data. The research covered in this review also includes information on clozapine, haloperidol, risperidone and zotepine. These drugs have been evaluated from various points of view, including pharmacokinetics, cognitive functions and pharmacoeconomic considerations. Finally, the impact of psychosocial measures ranging from psychoeducation to family management was studied.