Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of Oral Brexpiprazole (OPC- 34712) in Adolescents With Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severely delibitating mental illness that affects approximately 1% of the world population. The onset of schizophrenia symptoms typically peaks in late adolescence and early adulthood. In a minority of cases, the initial episode may occur during childhood or early adolescence. Patients who experience this "early-onset schizophrenia" exhibit symptoms that are more severe and follow a more chronic course; adolescents with schizophrenia may never achieve full remission of the initial episode. The prognosis for early-onset schizophrenia tends to be poor, and cognitive impairment is greater compared with individuals whose onset of schizophrenia occurs later in life. Several antipsychotics have been investigated for the treatment of adolescent schizophrenia, however, there is a particular challenge because developing bodies are more sensitive to side effects of antipsychotics, particularly with respect to weight gain. In order to enroll a population that includes the younger ages, adolescents with other related psychiatric disorders are also included in this study.