On Friday, Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD) announced that it has received FDA approval of Nuplazid for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease Psychosis. The drug received a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA back in 2014. The Breakthrough Designation allows for faster review time compared to other drugs. 

What makes this FDA approval so special is that Nuplazid will be the only drug to be approved by the FDA to treat Parkinson's Disease Psychosis. That means that there will be no competition for that designation, and thus Acadia stands to profit handsomely. Data coming from the National Parkinson Foundation is that approximately 5 million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson's Disease. Of those, about 40% develop Parkinson's Disease Psychosis.

The psychosis, which generally results from the neurodegeneration that can occur with Parkinson's, is characterized by hallucinations and delusions. Nuplazid represents a new class of drugs, selective serotonin inverse agonists (SSIA), which avoid certain receptors such as for dopamine that antipsychotics typically target; that's important for Parkinson's patients since typical therapies for Parkinson's motor function symptons rely on affecting those receptors.

Patients won't have to wait long for Nuprazid; Acadia plans to launch the drug in June, only a few months away.