Could a common food preservative help treat Hard-to-Treat schizophrenia?
NCT ID NCT06340789
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding sodium benzoate—a substance that affects brain glutamate—to standard antipsychotic medication can improve symptoms and thinking in people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. About 90 adults who have not responded well to at least two antipsychotics will receive either sodium benzoate or a placebo for 8 weeks. Researchers will use brain scans, blood tests, and symptom ratings to see if the treatment works and to identify who might benefit most.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- sodium benzoate
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new add-on treatment option for people with schizophrenia who do not respond to standard antipsychotics.
- What could go wrong
- This is a Phase 2 trial with 90 participants, so results are still early. Sodium benzoate may not improve symptoms more than placebo, and side effects are possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2021
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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20 to 55 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Fulfil the DSM5 criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder 2. Research criteria for treatment resistance: little or no symptomatic response to multiple (at least two) antipsychotic treatment of an adequate duration (at least 6 weeks) and adequate doses (equivalent to at least 600 milliequivalent (meq)/day of chlorpromazine) 3. 6 month period without remission (i.e. ≥4 item-score for the positive symptoms on PANSS scale , especially delusional thoughts, conceptual disorganisation, excitements, grandiosity, hallucinatory behaviour, excitement, persecution, and hostility) 4. The persistence of illness was defined as a score of ≥4 (moderately ill) on the severity of illness subscale of the Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI-S), and a lack of stable period of good social occupational function. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current or previous diagnosis of concurrent DSM-5 disorder due to active medical problems, known neurological disease, or a contraindication to MRI scanning 2. Current diagnosis of substance-related disorder 3. Any acute or chronic medical condition 4. History of head trauma or neurological diseases.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Taichung Veterans General Hospital Chiayi Branch
RECRUITINGChiayi City, 600, Taiwan
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- New schizophrenia drug goes Head-to-Head with standard antipsychotics in Long-Term trial
- Five-Year safety check for experimental schizophrenia drug