Widely Used Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. PTSD Drug Fails Test in Combat Veterans

A medication commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans may not be effective in reducing overall PTSD severity, a new study shows. The six-month randomized, controlled trial found that the antipsychotic medication risperidone worked no better than a placebo in alleviating typical PTSD symptoms in patients who had been suffering from the disorder long-term or who continued to suffer symptoms after being treated with antidepressants. The medication also failed to quell depression and anxiety, researchers reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.