In France, 600,000 people suffer from schizophrenia. Far from Hollywood clichés, this psychiatric illness (which is generally diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 25) can manifest itself through hallucinations, delusions, social isolation, difficulties in memorizing and analyzing…
Schizophrenia is a serious illness since, according to theInsermabout half of patients make at least one suicide attempt in their lifetime.
The treatment of schizophrenia is based in particular (but not only) on antipsychotic drugs: these reduce the intensity of the symptoms and allow (in some patients) to maintain a good quality of life.
A long-acting injectable drug to make life easier for patients
Risperidone is one such drug. Problem: Currently, this is a treatment that must be taken orally. However, about 50% of patients with schizophrenia have difficulty taking their treatment regularly, which is the main factor in relapse into the disease.
To improve compliance with treatment for schizophrenia, a French company (Medincell) and the pharmaceutical company Teva have designed Uzedy®: risperidone to be administered by injection.
Very concretely, this treatment will be administered directly by the attending physician who follows the schizophrenic patient, in the office. Risperidone will then be diffused in the body for 1 to 2 months: the patient will therefore no longer have to think about his treatment for several weeks!
Following obtaining the green light from the American health authorities (FDA), Uzedy® should be marketed in the United States within a few weeks. For France, we will probably have to wait at least a few more months…
Source : 20 minutes
