Adjunctive telmisartan treatment on body metabolism in clozapine or olanzapine treated patients with schizophrenia: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial

IUPHAR review: Drug repurposing in Schizophrenia - An updated review of clinical trials

There is an urgent need for mechanistically novel and more efficacious treatments for schizophrenia, especially those targeting negative and cognitive symptoms with a more favorable side-effect profile. Drug repurposing-the process of identifying new therapeutic uses for already approved compounds-offers a promising approach to overcoming the lengthy, costly, and high-risk process of traditional CNS drug discovery. This review aims to update our previous findings on the clinical drug repurposing pipeline in schizophrenia. We examined studies conducted between 2018 and 2024, identifying 61 trials evaluating 40 unique repurposed drug candidates. These encompassed a broad range of pharmacological mechanisms, including immunomodulation, cognitive enhancement, and hormonal, metabolic, and neurotransmitter modulation. A notable development is the combination of the muscarinic modulators xanomeline, a compound with antipsychotic properties, and trospium, included to mitigate peripheral side effects, now approved by the FDA as the first antipsychotic drug in decades with a fundamentally novel mechanism of action. Moving beyond the traditional dopaminergic paradigm of schizophrenia, such findings highlight opportunities to improve treatment-resistant symptoms and alleviate adverse effects. Overall, the evolving drug repurposing landscape illustrates a significant shift in the rationale for schizophrenia drug development, highlighting the potential of in silico strategies, biomarker-based patient stratification, and personalized treatments that align with underlying pathophysiological processes.

Analysis of clinical studies on clozapine from 2012-2022

Clozapine has been considered the "gold standard" in the treatment of schizophrenia for many years. Clozapine has a superior effect, particularly in the treatment of negative symptoms and suicidal behaviour. However, due to its numerous adverse reactions, clozapine is mainly used for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The aim of this paper is to analyze the results of clinical studies on clozapine from 2012-2022. PubMed was used as the database. Sixty-four studies were included and categorised by topic. The pharmacokinetic properties of clozapine tablets and a clozapine suspension solution did not differ markedly. Clozapine was superior to olanzapine and risperidone in reducing aggression and depression. A long-term study showed that metabolic parameters changed comparably with olanzapine and clozapine after 8 years. Risperidone and ziprasidone can be used as an alternative to clozapine. Scopolamine, atropine drops, and metoclopramide are effective in the treatment of clozapine-induced hypersalivation. Eight drugs, including liraglutide, exenatide, metformin, and orlistat, are potentially effective in the treatment of clozapine-induced weight gain. Ziprasidone, haloperidol, and aripiprazole showed a positive effect on symptoms when added to clozapine. No investigated drug was superior to clozapine for the treatment of schizophrenia. Ziprasidone and risperidone can also be used well for the treatment of schizophrenia. In the treatment of clozapine-induced hypersalivation and weight gain, some drugs proved to be effective.

Effects of telmisartan on metabolic syndrome components: a comprehensive review

Telmisartan is an antagonist of the angiotensin II receptor used in the management of hypertension (alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents. It belongs to the drug class of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). Among drugs of this class, telmisartan shows particular pharmacologic properties, including a longer half-life than any other angiotensin II receptor blockers that bring higher and persistent antihypertensive activity. In hypertensive patients, telmisartan has superior efficacy than other antihypertensive drugs (losartan, valsartan, ramipril, atenolol, and perindopril) in controlling blood pressure, especially towards the end of the dosing interval. Telmisartan has a partial PPARγ-agonistic effect whilst does not have the safety concerns of full agonists of PPARγ receptors (thiazolidinediones). Moreover, telmisartan has an agonist activity on PPARα and PPARδ receptors and modulates the adipokine levels. Thus, telmisartan could be considered as a suitable alternative option, with multi-benefit for all components of metabolic syndrome including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. This review will highlight the role of telmisartan in metabolic syndrome and the main mechanisms of action of telmisartan are discussed and summarized. Many studies have demonstrated the useful properties of telmisartan in the prevention and improving of metabolic syndrome and this well-tolerated drug can be greatly proposed in the treatment of different components of metabolic syndrome. However, larger and long-duration studies are needed to confirm these findings in long-term observational studies and prospective trials and to determine the optimum dose of telmisartan in metabolic syndrome.

Effect of the Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors on Inflammatory Markers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize more conclusive evidence on the anti-inflammatory effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

METHODS

PubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched from inception until March 1, 2021. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effect of ACEIs or ARBs, compared with placebo, on any of the following markers: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), or tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Mean changes in the levels of these markers were pooled as a weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% CI.

RESULTS

Thirty-two RCTs (n=3489 patients) were included in the final analysis. Overall pooled analysis suggested that ACEIs significantly reduced plasma levels of CRP (WMD, -0.54 [95% CI, -0.88 to -0.21]; P=.002; I²=96%), IL-6 (WMD, -0.84 [95% CI, -1.03 to -0.64]; P<.001; I²=0%), and TNF-α (WMD, -12.75 [95% CI, -17.20 to -8.29]; P<.001; I²=99%). Moreover, ARBs showed a significant reduction only in IL-6 (WMD, -1.34 [95% CI, -2.65 to -0.04]; P=.04; I²=85%) and did not significantly affect CRP (P=.15) or TNF-α (P=.97) levels. The lowering effect of ACEIs on CRP levels remained significant with enalapril (P=.006) and perindopril (P=.01) as well as with a treatment duration of less than 24 weeks (WMD, -0.67 [95% CI, -1.07 to -0.27]; P=.001; I²=94%) and in patients with coronary artery disease (WMD, -0.75 [95% CI, -1.17 to -0.33]; P<.001; I²=96%).

CONCLUSION

Based on this meta-analysis, ACEIs showed a beneficial lowering effect on CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α, whereas ARBs were effective as a class in reduction of IL-6 only.

Pharmacological Interventions to Treat Antipsychotic-Induced Dyslipidemia in Schizophrenia Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

Introduction: Antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia represents a common adverse effect faced by patients with schizophrenia that increases risk for developing further metabolic complications and cardiovascular disease. Despite its burden, antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia is often left untreated, and the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions for mitigating dyslipidemia has not been well-addressed. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions in alleviating dyslipidemia in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Medline, PsychInfo, and EMBASE were searched for all relevant English articles from 1950 to November 2020. Randomized placebo-controlled trials were included. Differences in changes in triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and VLDL cholesterol levels between treatment and placebo groups were meta-analyzed as primary outcomes. Results: Our review identified 48 randomized controlled trials that comprised a total of 3,128 patients and investigated 29 pharmacological interventions. Overall, pharmacological interventions were effective in lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels while increasing the levels of HDL cholesterol. Within the intervention subgroups, approved lipid-lowering agents did not reduce lipid parameters other than total cholesterol level, while antipsychotic switching and antipsychotic add-on interventions improved multiple lipid parameters, including triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol. Off label lipid lowering agents improved triglycerides and total cholesterol levels, with statistically significant changes seen with metformin. Conclusion: Currently available lipid lowering agents may not work as well in patients with schizophrenia who are being treated with antipsychotics. Additionally, antipsychotic switching, antipsychotic add-ons, and certain off label interventions might be more effective in improving some but not all associated lipid parameters. Future studies should explore novel interventions for effectively managing antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia. Registration: PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020219982; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020219982.