Schizophrenia | Unmet Need | Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia | US/EU | 2023

The negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which often coexist with the positive symptoms, include diminished emotional expression (affective flattening), diminished initiation of goal-directed behavior (avolition), paucity of speech (alogia), and/or other aspects of diminished social functioning. These symptoms negatively impact patients’ functioning and quality of life. Although the schizophrenia drug market is crowded with multiple antipsychotics, few, if any, therapies are available in the United States and Europe to treat the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Of note, AbbVie’s Vraylar (United States) and Gedeon Richter / Recordati’s Reagila (Europe) has shown some efficacy in the treatment of predominant negative symptoms, and amisulpride is specifically approved in some European countries to treat the negative symptoms. Given that a sizeable proportion of schizophrenia patients exhibit negative symptoms and the few therapeutic options in this segment, there is high unmet need and commercial opportunity for an efficacious and safe therapy to treat the negative symptoms of schizophrenia in this underserved patient segment.

Questions answered

• Which clinical / nonclinical attributes of a therapy influence psychiatrists’ choice of treatment for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
• How do psychiatrists rate the performance of key current therapies in the treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
• What is the level of need for improved treatment options in multiple psychiatry indications, including the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
• What are the prevailing areas of unmet need in the treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
• What are the key opportunities for drug development in this space?
• What trade-offs are acceptable to U.S. and European psychiatrists across key clinical attributes and price for a new drug to treat the negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Product description

Unmet Need supports clinical development decisions by identifying key attributes and assessing areas of unmet need for a specific disease or subpopulation. Based on surveys with U.S. and European physicians, this report provides insight into key treatment drivers and goals, the performance of current therapies, and the remaining commercial opportunities. One market scenario is profiled in detail by Clarivate experts, and additional customized market scenarios can be evaluated with the corresponding TPP Simulator.

Markets covered: United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany.

Primary research: Survey of 61 U.S. and 30 European psychiatrists fielded in April 2023.

Key companies: AbbVie, Gedeon Richter, Recordati, Minerva Neurosciences, Acadia Pharmaceuticals.

Key drugs: Vraylar (U.S.) / Reagila (Europe), amisulpride (Europe), aripiprazole, risperidone, olanzapine, SSRIs (i.e., fluoxetine, citalopram).