Dive Brief:
- In a meta-analysis of 26 randomized, double-blind, controlled studies, researchers found that the anti-inflammatories aspirin, estrogen (in women), and Fluimucil (acetylcysteine), enhance the effect of medications used to treat schizophrenia.
- The anti-inflammatories celecoxib, minocycline, and davunetide did not have an impact on the efficacy of schizophrenia treatments. Fatty acids also had no impact on therapy.
- Overall, 20% to 30% of individuals treated for schizophrenia do not respond to treatment. The immune system is linked to certain psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.
Dive Insight:
Given the high rate of non-responsive patients, anything that improves responses to medications used to treat schizophrenia could have an impact on how the disorder is treated. By looking at a comprehensive database of robust clinical trials, researchers have now begun to shed light which anti-inflammatory drugs have a positive effect and which have a neutral effect.
This new knowledge could affect how physicians prescribe schizophrenia treatments. Schizophrenia is linked to the HLA gene system, which is found on chromosome 6 and controls many facets of the immune system.