Cariprazine Add-on in Inadequate Clozapine Response: A Report on Two Cases

Cariprazine is a novel antipsychotic drug that exerts partial agonism of dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptors with preferential binding to the D(3) receptor, antagonism of 5HT(2B) receptors, and partial agonism of 5HT(1A). Currently, cariprazine has shown clinical efficacy in patients with schizophrenia and with bipolar disorder, as well as adjunctive treatment in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and drug-resistant MDD. In the present case series, we report on two patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and partial response to clozapine who benefit from combination with cariprazine. The effects of cariprazine combination were remarkable also concerning the adverse metabolic effects of clozapine.