Chlorpromazine

In the clinical treatment of mental disorders, dopamine receptor antagonists are the core category of drugs for controlling acute psychiatric symptoms. As the first marketed phenothiazine antipsychotic, chlorpromazine blocks dopamine D2 receptors in the mesolimbic system, and simultaneously acts on multiple targets such as α-adrenergic receptors and M-cholinergic receptors. It can rapidly control the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations, delusions and agitated behavior, and can also be used to treat manic episodes, vomiting and intractable hiccups. It is an indispensable basic drug in the primary diagnosis and treatment system of psychiatry, covering the adult population with mental disorders, and can also be used in pediatric patients for some special indications after clinical evaluation.

Against the background of the steady expansion of the global antipsychotic drug market, chlorpromazine has been included in the essential drug lists of most countries around the world due to its long marketing history and sufficient clinical evidence. Currently, its global annual market size is approximately USD 120 million, with an annual compound growth rate maintained at around 2%. Since the core patents have long expired, the global market is dominated by generic drug supplies. China and India are the main producers and exporters of chlorpromazine API, accounting for more than 85% of the global supply. In terms of the domestic market, this variety has been included in the National Essential Medicines List and the centralized procurement list, with stable winning bid prices and sufficient overall supply. The market competition pattern is relatively scattered, and there is no absolute leading enterprise occupying a monopoly position.

The original developer of chlorpromazine is GlaxoSmithKline, with the original brand name Thorazine. Its core compound patent expired in 1957. At present, the original dosage forms are mainly tablets and injections, and common specifications include 25mg and 50mg tablets, 25mg/1ml and 50mg/2ml injections. The original preparation has been included in the FDA Reference Listed Drug Catalog. For the domestic market, there are currently more than 20 chlorpromazine API registration entries on the CDE API Registration Platform, among which more than 15 are in A status, which can be legally supplied to preparation enterprises. The domestically approved chlorpromazine preparations cover multiple dosage forms such as tablets and injections, with a total of nearly 70 approvals, covering clinically commonly used specifications. (Data as of June 2025, please refer to the official CDE website for the latest information)

In response to the demands for chlorpromazine quality research and preparation production, CATO provides a full set of impurity reference standards for this API, with most products in stock. For in-stock products, orders placed before 16:00 will be shipped on the same day. The products comply with the regulatory requirements of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, FDA and other regulations, and can fully meet the full-process R&D and production needs of pharmaceutical enterprises, including impurity qualitative and quantitative research, quality standard establishment, stability study, etc.