Friday 24 May is World Schizophrenia Awareness Day, an annual day dedicated to raising awareness of the severe mental health condition that affects over 20 million people worldwide. Schizophrenia is a complex brain condition which can be challenging to treat.
Professor Chris Langmead, Director of the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences said,
“The stigma and daily struggle that comes with living with schizophrenia can lead to chronic despair, hopelessness and a lost sense of self-worth, whilst also having a significant impact on families, carers and places of work. At the same time, the development of new medical treatments for schizophrenia has remained stagnant for more than 50 years – there is an urgent need for change.
“We urgently need new precision medicines for schizophrenia that are much more effective than current drugs and also much better tolerated. An emerging and exciting example of this is a new drug in Phase 3 clinical trials in the US for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis in Alzheimer’s disease – medicines like this can also be developed in Australia, with the right investment.
“It’s critical medical treatment options for people living with schizophrenia dramatically improve. With world-leading researchers across drug development, psychiatry, psychology and public health, Australia is well-placed to be at the forefront of this field.”
