This review first describes the preclinical findings with
sertindole, a novel phenyl
indole derivative
antipsychotic agent. Second, a summary is provided of the major clinical trials conducted to date. Based on these findings,
sertindole appears to be an effective
antipsychotic agent for the treatment of positive and negative symptoms of
schizophrenia, with efficacy that is clearly superior to placebo.
Sertindole is as effective as
haloperidol, however, is much better tolerated with significantly fewer adverse neurologic effects across a wide dosage range of both drugs.
Sertindole is associated with a significant mean prolongation of the QT and QTc intervals of 3 - 6% from baseline in placebo-controlled studies. This potential adverse effect should be taken into account when treating specific patients with known risk factors for ventricular arrhythmias.
Sertindole should prove to be a very useful addition to the therapeutic options available for the treatment of
psychotic disorders.