Schizophrenia: Antipsychotics and drug development

The introduction of chlorpromazine and the work that ensued provided the foundation to reposition schizophrenia as a biological illness. The present paper follows the evolution of antipsychotics and their shift from ‘typical’ to ‘atypical’. Atypicality is reviewed in reference to its original defini...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioural brain research 2021-09, Vol.414, p.113507-113507, Article 113507
Main Authors: Remington, Gary, Hahn, Margaret K., Agarwal, Sri Mahavir, Chintoh, Araba, Agid, Ofer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antipsychotic Agents - history
Antipsychotics
Atypicality
Drug Development - history
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Humans
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - drug therapy
Treatment
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Summary:The introduction of chlorpromazine and the work that ensued provided the foundation to reposition schizophrenia as a biological illness. The present paper follows the evolution of antipsychotics and their shift from ‘typical’ to ‘atypical’. Atypicality is reviewed in reference to its original definition, clozapine’s role, and developments that now leave the concept’s utility in question. In a similar fashion, drug development is reviewed in the context of the illness’ multiple symptom domains, as well as differences captured by clinical staging and phenotyping. Collectively, the evidence argues for a more nuanced approach to drug development that aligns with the illness’ heterogeneity and complexity. Just as ‘atypical’ as a descriptor for antipsychotics may be outdated, it may be time to set aside the notion of developing drugs that treat ‘schizophrenia’.
ISSN:0166-4328
1872-7549
DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113507