[Development of antipsychotic drug: new directions]

The treatment of psychotic disorders has been dramatically changed by the discovery, in 1952, of antipsychotic activity of chlorpromazine and the definition of criteria for a new therapeutic class. Since then, although major improvements were done in terms of neurological tolerance and easiness to handle, today's antipsychotics are highly similar to former ones. Those treatments do not answer to all expectations of patients or practitioners, in particular regarding their metabolic or cardiologic side effects and potency to reduce cognitive deficit. Moreover, despite increasing understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenic disorders, this new knowledge is not or very little used in the field of therapeutics, justifying to resume research efforts to improve therapeutics in psychotic disorders. The development of a new medication follows several steps, based on precise strategies and regulations. The main streams of research concern compounds that act on dopaminergic, serotoninergic or peptidergic systems.