Schizophrenia is a serious and disabling mental disorder that affects approximately 1% of the world's population. Antipsychotic drugs remain the cornerstone in the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia. There are a number of antipsychotic drugs in use but none is ideal, in particular because their safety profile is complex and their effectiveness is limited.
Thus, present treatment options leave room for improvement and call for new, more effective pharmacotherapies for the treatment of schizophrenia. In the current study, non-acute patients with schizophrenia will be randomised to blinded treatment with either zicronapine or a standard antipsychotic treatment for 24 weeks. The safety (with focus on metabolic parameters) and efficacy of zicronapine will be evaluated in comparison to risperidone.
