As confirmed by the maker of the drug, Eli Lilly & Co., the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the longer-lasting version of its much popular and highest selling anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa, which will be marketed as Zyprexa Relprevv.

The medicine, as confirmed by the company on Monday, has been approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults.

Currently, patients using Zyprexa take a daily pill, but the new version is an injection, and a single dose can last up-to 4 weeks. The results have been revealed by the pharmaceutical company after extensive clinical studies which involved as many as 2,054 subjects. It has been revealed that the Zyprexa Relprevv shot has been "effective in managing symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusions, apathy and social withdrawal".

Brain disorders which the new drug is looking to manage, according to the company, currently affect about 1.1% of the US population, or about 2.4 million people.

Possible side effects have been noted as "sedation (including coma) and delirium". Elderly people suffering from dementia-related disorders are at an increased risk of dying from the drug and should not use it, the firm has warned.