Schizophrenia drug offers new hope

OLANZAPINE, a new drug for the treatment of schizophrenia, was yesterday announced for use in Cyprus by Dr Martin Dossenbach, Clinical Research Physician for the drug’s American manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Co.

The drug, which will go under the trade name Zyprexa, represents an exciting breakthrough in the treatment of the disease because it does not produce the debilitating side effects associated with traditional anti- psychotic drugs. These include muscle spasms, excessive restlessness and other, Parkinson’s Disease-like symptoms.

Schizophrenia is considered the most debilitating mental illness in the world, affecting one per cent of the planet’s population. Showing no bias for gender, race or ethnicity, it usually appears in the late teens or early twenties. Symptoms include diminished emotions, delusions and loss of the ability to communicate. A split personality, a condition commonly thought to be related to schizophrenia, is not actually a symptom of the disease.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.