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Negative symptoms in schizophrenia contribute strongly to morbidity and disability and respond poorly to standard antipsychotic treatments. Also, negative symptoms can be confused with coexisting depression and with antipsychotic-induced akinesia and may sometimes improve when positive symptoms decrease. In a 26-week, randomized, controlled, manufacturer-funded, international trial, the antipsychotic cariprazine (mean dose, 4.2 mg), which has novel, potent dopamine D3 receptor activity and which was approved by the FDA in 2015, was compared with risperidone (mean dose, 3.8 mg) in 461 patients with schizophrenia.
Cariprazine showed significantly greater improvement than risperidone in negative symptoms and in personal and social functioning b…