Development of novel therapy of schizophrenia in children and adolescents

Introduction: Typical and atypical antipsychotics are efficacious treatments for early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) with very subtle differences in their efficacy. Therefore, when choosing an antipsychotic, the side-effect profile of the individual antipsychotic needs to be taken into account. There is a growing body of neurobiological and genetic evidence for early-onset patients, but these findings have not yet translated into the clinic.Areas covered: The authors summarize the current treatment options for EOS and discuss the novel treatment options that are under evaluation. The authors focus specifically on Phase II and Phase III clinical trials.Expert opinion: Currently, there are no truly groundbreaking pharmacological treatment options emerging in EOS. There are several newer antipsychotic agents (iloperidone, lurasidone, asenapine, blonanserin) that are currently in clinical trials. It is unclear whether therapeutic efficacy of any of these agents will be superior or even similar to the existing tre...