In the last handful of years, however, knowledge of the brain exploded and the limitations of the older drugs became clear. As a result, researchers all over the world have been able to develop a raft of new antipsychotic drugs. The new drugs don't cure schizophrenia, a psychosis characterized by delusions, hallucinations and a sense of isolation. But they seem to work as well as the older drugs, except with fewer side effects. It's not only researchers, psychiatrists and patients voicing enthusiasm.
Investors also seek to share in the rewards of the drugs.
The antipsychotic market is about to balloon, financial analysts predicted. Investors expect it to rapidly become the drug of choice when it wins approval, reducing Lilly's dependence on Prozac sales and spurring its earnings growth to among the best in the industry. It doesn't seem to me that you see a big difference in overall efficacy'' between Risperdal and Zyprexa, said Dr. Robert Conley, director of treatment research at the University of Maryland and a colleague of Tamminga's, who has research experience with the newer agents. Lilly will tout Zyprexa's clean safety profile. But Conley said the apparently benign side-effect profiles of the two are simply ''different, not better'' for either drug.