Selected Medicines in Development for Mental Illness

FIGHTING COCAINE ADDICTION:   The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that nearly 4 million Americans use cocaine. Currently no medication addresses cocaine addiction, but a therapeutic vaccine in development may prove to be an effective treatment. The vaccine is designed to induce cocaine-specific antibodies that bind to cocaine in the blood, blocking its uptake into the brain. The physiological response to cocaine is thus altered, reducing the reinforcing properties of cocaine and permitting patients to break the cycle of addiction.

HELP FOR ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS:   Anxiety disorders affect more than 19 million adults ages 18 to 54 in the U.S., more than 13 percent of the population in this age group. Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worry, occurring more days than not for a period of at least six months, accompanied by symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and disturbed sleep. Panic disorder is a severe anxiety condition characterized by panic attacks, acute episodes of anxiety with such symptoms as difficulty breathing, sweating, heart palpitations, dizziness and fear of losing control. A new medicine in development may be able to help both those people with generalized anxiety disorder and those with panic disorder. The new medicine is a member of the cyclopyrrolone class of compounds, which modulate the transmission of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). By normalizing the action of GABA in the brain, the medicine may reduce the abnormal neuronal activity associated with anxiety and panic attacks. 

TREATING SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA:   Schizophrenia affects some 2.2 million Americans age 18 and older. The disorder often first appears earlier in men, usually in their late teens or early 20s, while women are generally affected in their 20s or early 30s. Symptoms of schizophrenia are typically divided into positive and negative because of their impact on diagnosis and treatment. Positive symptoms are those that appear to reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions, while negative symptoms are those that appear to reflect a diminished or loss of normal functions. One potential medicine in development has shown to relate to both the types of symptoms in animal studies. In addition, the medicine may also have a very low potential for neurological side effects associated with some antipsychotic medicines.