Feb 20, 2025 10:34 PM
(This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2025 10:38 PM by C C.)
https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/20...ore-273648
EXCERPTS: [...] As is well known, schizophrenia is a serious form of psychosis that is characterized by disordered thinking, hallucinations and impaired speech and expression. The disease profoundly impacts the quality of life of afflicted individuals...
[...] The “dopamine hypothesis” of schizophrenia, first developed in the 1960s, says that an excess of dopamine causes the symptoms of the disorder. To this end, existing drugs for schizophrenia target dopamine transmission by blocking two subtypes of dopamine receptors.
Unfortunately, these “first-generation” antipsychotics induce severe side effects including rigidity, tremors, weight gain and sedation. “Second-generation” antipsychotics which also target the norepinephrine receptor subtype, called 5-HT2A, are better tolerated but are also not free of muscle tremors, sedation and weight gain. Because of these side effects patients can stop taking the drugs.
[...] Cobenfy, approved in September 2024, is a breakthrough antipsychotic medication, the first drug with a completely different mechanism of action from existing schizophrenia drugs. Instead of targeting dopamine and serotonin receptors, Cobenfy targets receptors called the M1 and M2 muscarinic receptors, so named because they were originally discovered by their responses to the neurotransmitter muscarine.
It is instructive to understand Cobenfy’s fascinating history to appreciate the discovery of its mechanism of action. The history also speaks to the rocky, serendipitous, uncertain road that often plagues the development of new drugs. In case of Cobenfy it also speaks to the ingenuity of drug hunters...
[...Cobenfy's...] discovery will likely herald the advent of new drugs against this debilitating disease with a completely new mechanism of action that was found through a combination of serendipity and some very clever puzzle solving... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: [...] As is well known, schizophrenia is a serious form of psychosis that is characterized by disordered thinking, hallucinations and impaired speech and expression. The disease profoundly impacts the quality of life of afflicted individuals...
[...] The “dopamine hypothesis” of schizophrenia, first developed in the 1960s, says that an excess of dopamine causes the symptoms of the disorder. To this end, existing drugs for schizophrenia target dopamine transmission by blocking two subtypes of dopamine receptors.
Unfortunately, these “first-generation” antipsychotics induce severe side effects including rigidity, tremors, weight gain and sedation. “Second-generation” antipsychotics which also target the norepinephrine receptor subtype, called 5-HT2A, are better tolerated but are also not free of muscle tremors, sedation and weight gain. Because of these side effects patients can stop taking the drugs.
[...] Cobenfy, approved in September 2024, is a breakthrough antipsychotic medication, the first drug with a completely different mechanism of action from existing schizophrenia drugs. Instead of targeting dopamine and serotonin receptors, Cobenfy targets receptors called the M1 and M2 muscarinic receptors, so named because they were originally discovered by their responses to the neurotransmitter muscarine.
It is instructive to understand Cobenfy’s fascinating history to appreciate the discovery of its mechanism of action. The history also speaks to the rocky, serendipitous, uncertain road that often plagues the development of new drugs. In case of Cobenfy it also speaks to the ingenuity of drug hunters...
[...Cobenfy's...] discovery will likely herald the advent of new drugs against this debilitating disease with a completely new mechanism of action that was found through a combination of serendipity and some very clever puzzle solving... (MORE - missing details)