Boston-based biotech Karuna Therapeutics (KRTX) said Monday that a novel combination pill achieved the main goal of a mid-stage clinical trial by reducing the acute psychosis and related symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia.
The Karuna drug, called KarXT, works by targeting muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain. Current antipsychotics — which mostly block dopamine receptors — have become blockbuster schizophrenia medicines despite causing troubling side effects like weight gain and somnolence.
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