Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Israeli Drug with reduced Side Effects?

Israeli drug shown to reduce side effects of schizophrenia medication

Pre-clinical testing of a new drug to treat schizophrenia has yielded promising results in Israel. The medication, based on a substance developed by a group of Bar-Ilan University and Tel Aviv University researchers, has been shown to significantly reduce the serious side effects associated with other drugs currently used to treat the disease.

The drug was synthesized in the research laboratory of Prof. Abraham Nudelman, head of the Medicinal Chemistry division at Bar-Ilan University and its biological activity was tested in the laboratories of Dr. Irit Gilad, Dr. Ada Rephaeli and Prof. Avraham Weizman of Tel Aviv University’s Felsenstein Institute. The drug is currently being developed by "Bioline Rx" in Jerusalem. Medications to treat schizophrenia, known as typical, were approved for use on humans in the 1950’s.

While these medications have been unable to cure the disease, they do allow patients to function in their community and prevent the need for hospitalization. However, due to complications and serious side effects, many patients have avoided taking them. The new medication, for which a patent has been filed, is based on a substance known as BL1020. Pre-clinical trials conducted on laboratory animals treated with BL1020 reveal that the substance worked similarly to the typical antischizophrenic drugs, but the side effects caused by current medications were significantly reduced.

Bioline Rx reported plans at the 2005 Bio-Tech Israel Conference to submit the medicine for clinical testing on humans within a year.

Source: Nami California