Lurasidone: new development for the treatment of psychosis

Although we have had efficacious medications for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder for over half a century, there remains a clear need for more effective and better‐tolerated treatments for both conditions. Current antipsychotics often have troubling side‐effect profiles particularly with respect to weight gain and cardiometabolic parameters. These drawbacks also extend to treatment of mania and there are very few evidence‐based treatments for the depressed phases of bipolar disorder. The introduction of a novel treatment with a potentially better risk‐to‐benefit profile is therefore welcome.