Recent research has linked clozapine, a powerful medication for schizophrenia, to an increased risk of mortality associated with pneumonia and severe gastrointestinal complications. Clozapine is the only drug in the United States approved to treat ’treatment-resistant schizophrenia,' which affects one in five schizophrenic patients. It was removed from global markets in the 1970s due to its association with dangerously low white blood cell counts in 2 percent of users.
Following its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1989, it has been clinically available in the United States since 1990.
These complications are reportedly more severe than previously documented and are linked to an increased risk of death, the researchers wrote. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. It was based on data from 2,659 participants with a schizophrenia diagnosis in FinnGen, which tracks electronic health records in Finland.
They identified several serious adverse effects associated with clozapine use, including ileus—a condition in which the gastrointestinal tract malfunctions—seizures, pneumonia, and other respiratory infections. Clozapine was also linked to low white blood cell counts, Type 2 diabetes, and rapid heart rates. The reasons for these adverse events remain unclear.
The loss of white blood cells may be linked to immune suppression, Dr. Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist, told The Epoch Times. He argues that while clozapine may outper.