Roche Holding AG is moving experimental schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis medicines to the final stage of testing and may submit as many as 10 new drug applications to regulators by the end of 2013.
The first patient has already been enrolled in a late-stage trial of RG1678 for use in schizophrenia
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RG1678, a so-called glycine reuptake inhibitor, was effective in reducing the “negative symptoms” of schizophrenia, Roche said Dec. 6. These include a loss of motivation and interest in social activities, isolation and difficulty finding pleasure in everyday life, the company said. Current treatments for the disease mostly address the positive symptoms for the disease, which include hallucinations and delusions, Roche said.
The mental disorder affects about 24 million people worldwide and is usually diagnosed in people aged between 15 and 35 years old, Roche said.
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