Schizophrenia | Unmet Need | Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia | US/EU | 2016
Decision Resources Group (DRG) estimates that 80% of the more than 3 million diagnosed prevalent cases of schizophrenia within our surveyed markets (i.e., United States, France, Germany, and United Kingdom) suffer from comorbid cognitive impairment, which can negatively affect patients’ quality of life and ability to function independently. No pharmacological agents are approved specifically for the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), and of the more than 30 antipsychotic therapies prescribed to treat the “core” psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia, none offer therapeutic benefits for cognitive deficits. Although DRG research indicates that cognition-enhancing therapies and stimulants marketed for other diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders) may sometimes be prescribed off-label adjunct to an antipsychotic regimen to treat symptoms of CIAS, these drugs have accumulated negative or inconclusive clinical data from trials in CIAS patients. Thus, high unmet need and commercial opportunity exist for an efficacious therapy to treat CIAS in this underserved schizophrenia segment.
