Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Canada recently announced the drug Latuda was approved for the treatment of adult patients who have been diagnosed with acute schizophrenia.

The drug was approved by Health Canada after 48 clinical studies that involved more than 2,900 lurasidone-treated subjects.

"We are pleased that Latuda has achieved this significant milestone," said Douglas Reynolds, president of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. "More importantly, Latuda will provide patients in Canada suffering from schizophrenia a new option that can help support their treatment goals for this serious and complex disorder."

Schizophrenia drugs have been at the center of concerns regarding international pharmaceutical supply chains. In 2007, the British Department of Health discovered the country's supply chain had been compromised with counterfeit drugs. "All of Europe is on edge," the Orange County Register stated after the discovery of counterfeit Zyprexa, a leading schizophrenia drug, in the British supply.

The Register cited statistics from a 2005 FDA airport search, which found that 85 percent of drugs labeled "Canadian" were actually from other countries.