Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Europe has revealed that Latuda (lurasidone), a new once-daily oral treatment, is available in the UK to treat schizophrenia in adults.
Latude is an atypical antipsychotic, which was originally developed by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma.
The drug, which has no appreciable affinity for histamine (H1) and muscarinic (M1) receptors, is characterised by high-affinity binding for dopamine (D2) and serotonin (5HT2A and 5HT7) receptors.
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals executive vice-president and chief commercial officer Richard Russell said: "We believe there is an unmet need in the UK for treatments that provide both efficacy and tolerability, so [we] are pleased to offer Latuda as a new treatment option for people living with schizophrenia and the healthcare professionals who treat them."
The licensing for the oral treatment was based on short and long-term clinical studies, which found it to be effective in treating both positive and negative symptoms in psychotic patients with schizophrenia.
Significant reductions in symptoms against a placebo were witnessed as early as day four in both studies, according to the company.
In short-term and long-term studies, the common side effects seen with the use of Latuda include insomnia, somnolence, restlessness or akathisia, difficulty moving, slow movements, muscle stiffness or tremor, weight gain and nausea.
Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental illness. Approximately 630,000 people could suffer from it during their lifetime in the UK.
