Cobenfy: The Tip of the Spear of A New Class of Antipsychotics

While the US Food and Drug Administration approval marks a historic moment for schizophrenia treatment, it may take some time to understand where Cobenfy fits in the treatment landscape, says John H. Krystal, MD. Some patients may not want to switch to a new medication from their current antipsychotic even knowing the improved adverse effect profile. Additionally, there are no head-to-head comparisons between Cobenfy and other antipsychotics to illuminate which patients might do best on this new treatment.

Krystal also mentions other upcoming treatment for schizophrenia, including emraclidine, a novel positive allosteric modulator of cholinergic M4 receptors. A number of treatments in this new class of treatments for psychosis are coming up the pipeline.

"The more options, the better for patients and treatment overall," says Krystal.

Dr Krystal is Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research and Professor of Psychiatry, of Neuroscience, and of Psychology at Yale University. Krystal is also codirector of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation; chair of Psychiatry; physician-in-chief of Psychiatry at Yale New Haven Hospital; director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcoholism; and director of the Clinical Neuroscience Division at the VA National Center for PTSD.