The FDA approved Cobenfy, a new drug for people with schizophrenia that comes with fewer side effects than other antipsychotics.

The US FDA has approved a new drug, Cobenfy, for treating schizophrenia in adults. This is a first new class for medication that targets specific brain receptors without affecting dopamine pathways.

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Cobenfy which targets schizophrenia in a new way. Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) capsules are the first antipsychotic drug approved to target cholinergic receptors. All other treatments available for schizophrenia target the dopamine receptors.

No new treatments for schizophrenia have been approved in nearly three decades, but that changed on Sept. 26, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Cobenfy for the psychiatric disorder.

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved COBENFY, an oral medication that marks the first new class of drugs for schizophrenia in more than 30 years.

The FDA has approved Cobenfy, the first new schizophrenia treatment in 30 years, offering a novel approach with fewer side effects. Developed by Karuna Therapeutics, the drug is set to provide new hope for patients.

Cobenfy doesn’t have the same severe side effects as older schizophrenia medications — like weight gain, involuntary muscle movement, and sedation — that can cause patients to discontinue treatment.

Despite billions of taxpayer dollars spent on mental illness research, Cobenfy was developed by a private biopharmaceutical company.