PR86171

SHANGHAI, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- Discussion focusing on new therapeutic targets for schizophrenia and

challenges in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder

The Second Asia Pacific Psychiatry Symposium hosted by Luye Pharma Group took

place as an online event on October 17, 2020. More than 1,000 psychiatrists and

experts from 9 countries and regions including mainland China, Malaysia, Korea,

Singapore, and Thailand gathered on "the cloud", to hold talks on the latest

developments in the treatment of mental disorders, and on clinical diagnosis,

treatment strategies and related challenges.    

Dr. Lo Tak Lam, Professor of Psychiatry from the University of Hong Kong and

Chairman of the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong, served as the chairman

of the conference. A number of psychiatrists from Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong,

Thailand, and Malaysia delivered keynote speeches at the conference.

With a high prevalence and relapse rate, mental disorders have become a major

health concern to the general public worldwide. According to the World Health

Organization, close to 1 billion people around the world are living with mental

disorders, one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. And now, billions of

people have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having a further

impact on the general public's mental health. Among mental disorders,

schizophrenia is associated with considerable disability; those suffering are

2-3 times more likely to die early compared with the general population. In

particular, people with bipolar disorder suffer from a higher suicide rate – as

much as 20 times higher than the general population, where untreated. These

diseases can have a serious impact, causing considerable harm to the patients,

their families, and even to society as a whole.

The agenda of this year's conference focused primarily on schizophrenia and

bipolar disorder. Key topics included pipeline medications for schizophrenia,

the pros and cons of long-term antipsychotic treatment in people living with

schizophrenia, treatment of bipolar disorders in real world practice, and

difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with bipolar disorder

and the corresponding solutions. All of the topics triggered lively debate

among the attendees.  

Schizophrenia: exploring new therapeutic targets in drug development through an

interdisciplinary approach

The participating experts discussed hot topics at the frontiers of academia and

shared their findings in interdisciplinary areas concerning schizophrenia,

including the potential for drug development in the fields of psychiatry and

neurology, and the potential targets and new mechanisms of action (MoA). They

sought to provide new ideas for psychiatrists to develop new drugs that go

beyond the traditional Dopamine-2 receptor and 5-HT2 receptors. Regarding unmet

needs in the treatment of schizophrenia, where there is significant potential

for new therapies, such as in relieving negative symptoms and improving

cognitive disorder, they examined and analyzed the therapeutic targets of new

drugs as well as potential breakthrough therapies.    

In exchanges on interdisciplinary studies, experts offered advice to young

psychiatrist participants that neurobiology is a frontier area worth studying

and exploring, with much potential for new drug development, clinical diagnosis

and treatment of mental disorders in the future.

The pros and cons of long-term antipsychotic treatment in people living with

schizophrenia is a controversial issue in clinical practice. This topic was also

discussed at the conference, and the corresponding treatment was recommended.

Bipolar disorder: reducing missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses through the

assessment of multiple factors

The clinical manifestations of bipolar disorder are complex and diverse – its

clinical symptoms fluctuate significantly, and it can easily be misdiagnosed as

other mental disorders such as major depressive disorder. The high rates of

missed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and comorbidity, and the severe challenges

faced in treatment, are all major problems.      

Attending experts pointed out that bipolar disorder is a chronic disease that

can constantly switch between remission and relapse, and it therefore requires

special attention. In designing a treatment plan, there must be a comprehensive

assessment of multiple factors, including the symptoms and progression, the

bipolar type, the risk of suicide, the risk of violence, the efficacy of and

tolerance to the drug used, the patient's compliance with treatment, and the

patient's treatment history. Furthermore, regarding specific types of bipolar

disorder, experts recommended drugs for first-line, second-line and third-line

treatments, and pointed out that Quetiapine is one of the treatment options for

the full spectrum of mood disorders.

Luye Pharma: contributing to the development of the central nervous system

therapeutic area, and providing support for physicians and patients

The Asia Pacific Psychiatry Symposium is positioned to be forward-looking,

practical and innovative. A specialized academic platform addressing the latest

developments in mental disorders and clinical practice, the symposium is now in

its second year. Compared with last year, this year's successful conference saw

increased attendee levels, covered more countries and regions, exerted greater

influence, and attracted a higher level of professional attention.  

Luye Pharma, the conference organizer, has had a long presence in the central

nervous system (CNS) therapeutic area. In addition to offering high-quality and

innovative drugs, the company is also committed to providing professional

support and services to physicians and patients. Luye Pharma hopes to make this

conference a well-established, academic brand, to organize more academic

exchanges and to work with CNS experts and scholars, driving the progress of

clinical diagnosis and treatment in the field.

CNS is one of the core therapeutic areas for Luye Pharma. The company has a

series of new drugs in the pipeline covering multiple diseases including

schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, Parkinson's disease, and

Alzheimer's disease. Several new drugs have reached the late-clinical stage or

the new drug application stage in countries and regions including the United

States and Europe, and it is hoped that patients around the world will soon be

able to benefit from them. The company has also launched several CNS drugs,

covering over 80 countries and regions around the globe.

Source: LUYE PHARMA