The FDA is approving a schizophrenia drug from Bristol that could change the way the disorder is treated

For decades, doctors caring for people with schizophrenia have relied on mood-regulating drugs that target the brain chemical dopamine. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved for the first time a new type of drug that could change the way the psychiatric disorder is treated.

The drug, called Cobenfy, is sold by Bristol Myers Squibb. It was developed by biotech firm Karuna Therapeutics, which acquired Bristol for $14 billion last year.

Cobenfy has been approved to relieve the psychotic symptoms associated with schizophrenia. It is a new medicine that works by stimulating a pair of muscarinic receptors in the brain, which in turn control the release of a brain chemical called acetylcholine.