Plain language summary of the effects of iclepertin (BI 425809) on cognition in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

What is this summary about? This is a summary of an article originally published in Lancet Psychiatry. Many people affected by schizophrenia have difficulties with cognition (thinking), known as cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment includes a decline in a person’s memory and their ability to learn new things and carry out everyday tasks. However, there are currently no approved drugs to treat cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. What were the results? In this study, a drug called iclepertin (originally called BI 425809) was tested to find out whether it could improve cognition in people with schizophrenia. A total of 509 participants took one of four different doses of iclepertin or placebo once a day for 12 weeks. Iclepertin improved cognition when compared with placebo and showed no serious side effects. What do the results of the study mean? These results mean that iclepertin might be an effective treatment for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. These results will need to be confirmed in larger studies. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT number: NCT02832037