ATC Group: N05AX Other antipsychotics

The World Health Organization's ATC classification organizes medical drugs based on therapeutic properties, chemical composition, and anatomy. It helps make essential medicines readily available globally and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Position of N05AX in the ATC hierarchy

Level Code Title
1 N Nervous system
2 N05 Psycholeptics
3 N05A Antipsychotics
4 N05AX Other antipsychotics

Group N05AX contents

Code Title
N05AX07 Prothipendyl
N05AX08 Risperidone
N05AX10 Mosapramine
N05AX11 Zotepine
N05AX12 Aripiprazole
N05AX13 Paliperidone
N05AX14 Iloperidone
N05AX15
N05AX16
N05AX17

Active ingredients in N05AX

Active Ingredient

It has been proposed that aripiprazole’s efficacy in schizophrenia and Bipolar I Disorder is mediated through a combination of partial agonism at dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and antagonism of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors.

Brexpiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic agent. The pharmacology of brexpiprazole is believed to be mediated by a modulatory activity at the serotonin and dopamine systems that combines partial agonist activity at serotonergic 5-HT1A and at dopaminergic D2 receptors with antagonist activity at serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors, with similar high affinities at all of these receptors.

Cariprazine is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia in adult patients. The mechanism of action of cariprazine is not fully known. However the therapeutic effect of cariprazine may be mediated through a combination of partial agonist activity at dopamine D3, D2 (Ki values of 0.085-0.3 nM versus 0.49-0.71 nM respectively) and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors (Ki values of 1.4-2.6 nM), and antagonist activity at serotonin 5-HT2B, 5-HT2A and histamine H1 receptors (Ki values of 0.58-1.1 nM, 18.8 nM and 23.3 nM, respectively).

The mechanism of action of iloperidone in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder is unknown. However, the efficacy of iloperidone could be mediated through a combination of dopamine type 2 (D2) and serotonin type 2 (5-HT2) antagonism. Iloperidone forms an active metabolite, P88, that has an in vitro receptor binding profile similar to the parent drug.

Paliperidone is a selective blocking agent of monoamine effects, whose pharmacological properties are different from that of traditional neuroleptics. Even though paliperidone is a strong D2-antagonist, which is believed to relieve the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, it causes less catalepsy and decreases motor functions to a lesser extent than traditional neuroleptics.

Pimavanserin is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis. The mechanism of action of is unclear. However, the effect of pimavanserin could be mediated through a combination of inverse agonist and antagonist activity at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors and to a lesser extent at serotonin 5-HT2C receptors.

Risperidone is a selective monoaminergic antagonist with unique properties. Although risperidone is a potent D2 antagonist, which is considered to improve the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, it causes less depression of motor activity and induction of catalepsy than classical antipsychotics.

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