A jury is expected to decide on whether the US Food and Drug Administration will approve the use of a new medication to treat people with schizophrenia, a judge has ruled.
The federal government on Wednesday issued a notice to the public in an effort to get a public opinion survey about the drug and the trial, known as Epidiolex.
It says the trial is expected in September, with results expected to be released in November or December.
In a hearing in federal court in Chicago, Judge James R. Cote, a George W. Bush appointee, said he will grant a motion by the plaintiffs, who are the state of California and the University of California, San Francisco, to quash the trial and a jury trial on the grounds that they are entitled to a public trial.
In October, the FDA approved Epidiotek for treating schizophrenia.
A spokesperson for the university said the university had no comment on the motion.
Epidiotox is a combination of two medications called piperacillin and amoxicillin.
It is approved by the FDA for treatment of the condition, but it is not approved for treating psychosis.
It has been approved in Germany, Israel and the United Kingdom.
