Zyprexa - History of the Drug

Because the beginning of mankind, mental illness has played a job inside our society. Victims of such illnesses have been outcast, stereotyped and frequently ridiculed. However, as time passes, medical and psychiatric science advanced and the medical community became more knowledgeable of the conditions.

It wasn't before 20th century when scientists commenced to test out certain chemicals that could alleviate symptoms caused by neurological disorders such as schizophrenia. These drugs are called antipsychotics plus they block certain chemical receptors in the mind. Initially these drugs were praised in the medical community, however case studies commenced showing that long-term ramifications of these drugs caused patients to build up serious coordination problems. Because the benefits quite often outweighed the potential risks, doctors continued to prescribe these drugs with their patients.

A creation of a fresh drug with minimal side effects was made in 1989. This drug was called Cloarzil a so called 'atypical' antipsychotic. Unlike previous drugs, Cloarzil was made to block certain chemicals, while leaving others alone. Although it was a breakthrough in the medical community, the drug caused an increased white blood cell count which inhibits proper immunological functions.

It wasn't before mid 90's a new drug was introduced. This drug was proven in clinical studies to really have the same range of reduced side effects without increasing the patient's white blood cell count. This new atypical antipsychotic drug called Zyprexa® and was approved by the FDA in 1996. Despite the fact that the drug limited the amount of side effects such as impaired coordination and motor skills it showed an urgent upsurge in diabetes mellitus type II. This sort of diabetes has shown to be fatal in several patients.