LAUSR

The First Stage: From 1950 to 1980 Since the synthesis of chlorpromazine and its use in the treatment of mental illnesses, China thoroughly replicated most psychotropic drugs marketed abroad. During these early years, China did not recognize international patents. Clozapine, as an example, was extensively used for the treatment of schizophrenia. China leads the world in clozapine use, recognizing early on its clinical value for refractory patients. About 25% to 60% of all treated patients with schizophrenia receive clozapine in China; the incidence of leukopenia is 3.92% and agranulocytosis, 0.21%, with about one third of reported cases of patients with agranulocytosis dying. At this stage, investigators in China had not yet conducted a normative study of clinical pharmacology, and there was a large gap with its foreign counterparts.