By Leroy Leo
(Reuters) – Karuna Therapeutics said on Monday its experimental drug significantly reduced symptoms of schizophrenia in a late-stage trial.
The drug KarXT met its primary goal by showing a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 8.4-point reduction in a medical scale used to measure the severity of schizophrenia symptoms.
Karuna Therapeutics said it missed one of its secondary goals for improvement in symptoms like hallucinations and delusions, but showed a significant decline in two other secondary goals.
The latest data supports results from earlier trials of the drug and will form part of the application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which the company expects in mid-2023.
The company is targeting a potential launch for the drug in the second half of next year.
The company in November 2021 partnered with Zai Lab Ltd for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of KarXT in Greater China.
(Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
