Cariprazine is a recently developed
antipsychotic drug with a partial agonism for the D2 and D3 receptors. It shows a tenfold greater affinity for the D3 receptor. In clinical trials, its
therapeutic effect has been tested in patients with an acute exacerbation of
schizophrenia and in patients with acute
mania in
bipolar disorder. Like
risperidone,
cariprazine improves positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms, and ameliorates cognitive functions.
Cariprazine induces extrapyramidal symptoms less often than
risperidone and can cause acute
akathisia. It is a
prolactin-sparing
antipsychotic drug and has a favorable metabolic profile. In acute
mania in
bipolar disorder, it treats manic symptoms significantly better than placebo. As a consequence of its improved adverse effects,
cariprazine improves patients' quality of life to a greater extent than other second-generation
antipsychotic drugs.
Cariprazine is a promising
antipsychotic drug in the treatment of
schizophrenia, acute
mania in
bipolar disorder, and in
schizophrenia with
mania. In these patients, its long-term
therapeutic effect and its action in comparison with other second-generation
antipsychotic drugs, above all
aripiprazole, remain to be tested in clinical trials.