This article presents an overview of the pharmacology and clinical trial evidence of cariprazine in the treatment of adult patients with schizophrenia.

Cariprazine is a dopamine D3 receptor-preferring D3/D2 partial agonist antipsychotic that is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia (USA and EU) and manic/mixed and depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder (USA).

The efficacy and safety of cariprazine in schizophrenia were demonstrated in four short-term randomized clinical trials, two long-term open-label safety studies, one relapse prevention study, and one prospective study in patients with persistent predominant negative symptoms.

In post hoc analyses, cariprazine has also shown broad-spectrum efficacy across individual symptoms and domains of schizophrenia, as well as in diverse areas of interest including cognitive symptoms, negative symptoms, and functioning.

In all clinical trials, cariprazine was generally safe and well tolerated in patients with acute and long-term exposure, with no new safety concerns revealed in longer-term treatment.