More Than 100 New Medicines in Development to Treat Mental Health Disorders

America’s biopharmaceutical research companies are developing 119 new medicines to help improve the lives of the estimated 61.5 million Americans that are affected by mental health disorders, according to a new report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

These medicines in development, all either in clinical trials or under review by FDA, include 36 for schizophrenia, 29 for depression, 20 for substance/addictive disorders, 15 for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and 15 for anxiety disorders.

The new report outlines the numerous approaches being pursed to treat many of these disorders. Some examples include a medicine that may provide a broader spectrum of therapeutic activity for ADHD, an intranasal medicine for treatment-resistant depression that may offer a rapid onset of therapeutic effects, and a medicine for schizophrenia that potentially could result in fewer negative side effects than existing treatments.