Zeneca's Seroquel Debuts In UK For Schizophrenia

As predicted in last week's Marketletter, Zeneca launched its newantipsychotic drug Seroquel (quetiapine) in the UK, its first market, on September 22.

Seroquel offers very good tolerability compared to older antipsychotics such as haloperidol and chlorpromazine, particularly with regard to its extrapyramidal side effects - the drug-related facial grimacing, tremor, jerky limbs and involuntary tongue movements which are often confused with the symptoms of the disease. Seroquel is associated with a placebo-comparable rate of EPS right across its recommended dose range (150mg to 750mg).

The drug also causes fewer endocrine side effects than older agents, and may have some advantages in this regard versus some of the other new antipsychotics, according to Rob Kerwin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK (see also Marketletter September 22). There is nothing to choose between the new (or indeed old) agents in terms of efficacy, he added, and he said he would recommend Seroquel's use as a first-line, broad-spectrum antipsychotic in all forms of schizophrenia.