It is estimated that schizophrenia affects over 21 million people globally and approximately 2.4 million people in the United States. Approximately 300,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States.
People with schizophrenia are two to three times more likely to die early than the general population, with suicide being the main contributor in the early course of the disease and cardiovascular disease being the main contributor in later years.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, psychiatric disorder characterized by a heterogeneous combination of symptoms, including psychosis, social withdrawal, flat emotional affect and cognitive impairment. It is one of the most debilitating mental illnesses known and often requires patients to be under medical care for their entire lives.
Schizophrenia is considered more than a psychotic disorder. Patients are often limited in their ability to distinguish facial expressions, voice tone or pitch, and have difficulty with tasks related to learning, memory and mental processing. Nearly every schizophrenia patient is affected by CIAS, limiting both social and non-social cognitive functions.
The annual U.S. economic burden due to schizophrenia is estimated to exceed $155 billion. People living with schizophrenia often experience a reduced quality of life and are more likely to be homeless, unemployed or living in poverty compared with the general population.
While antipsychotics are most commonly used to treat psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, these medications fail to address the cognitive and negative symptoms and are often associated with severe dose-limiting effects. To date, there are no pharmacological treatments approved for CIAS.