Because the treatment is experimental and not on the market, there is no cost of treatment to report. The article fails to describe the nature or size of the symptomatic relief the drug trial showed. The article indicates that serious side effects were not observed in this small, early study of the drug. It mentions in the second paragraph that there may be side effects that were not revealed in this report. The article makes clear that the reported studies are early-phase and insufficient to prove efficacy and safety. The article does nothing to exaggerate the nature or severity of the disease. The author summarizes the results of a study that appeared in a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal, and quotes one knowledgable observer with no ties to the company developing the drug or the current study. The editor did a good job by retaining this information. The article makes clear that there are other drug treatments for schizophrenia whose effectiveness is limited by serious side effects. The article makes clear by the second paragraph that the treatment is still being tested and is at least three or four years from approval under the best circumstances. The article accurately states that the treatment is novel, and could potentially open the way to a new class of drug therapies. This article is an edited version of an article that appeared in the New York Times on the same day.
Schizophrenia drug shows promise in trial