Currently, the study is still in progress and a research has been launched to check if the medication could still be helpful in managing social withdrawal among autism patients. However, there is still no assurance on whether the drug actually works or not and the developers also don’t have an idea of the amount the medication could cost. In addition, it is still not known if medications that are in development presently could do a much better job, either instead of it or when used in conjunction with it.

So far, the results are quite promising and scientists have a strong believe that this medication could be a key model in development of sound autism treatments, says Dr. Michael Tranfaglia, a medical director at FRAXA Research Foundation which is a nonprofit organization that seeks better treatments for dealing with fragile X syndrome.

What causes Fragile X syndrome?

The scientists explain that Fragile X Syndrome is majorly caused by loss of a gene for fragile X which is a medical retardation protein. It is estimated that more than 100, 000 people in the US suffer from this condition and has the potential of resulting in mental retardation, autism, abnormal body growth and autism. Presently, fragile X has no cure. According to Stephen Warren which is the chairman for human genetics in Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta lack of the gene essentials causes the brain wiring to weaken. People suffering from this condition normally must live in supervised group homes, even though they can still work like other people.

There have been several studies launched in the past into the drug are known as arbaclofen and provides treatment autism type conditions like fragile X syndrome. Seaside Therapeutics, a manufacturer of drugs funded the study and it was jointly conducted by MIND Institute at University of California and Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. The research was the second one of the three phased research required for any drug before it is approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.

Improvement noted among those who took the drugs

The people who took the drug managed to deal much better with other people and showed improved social interaction ability, says Warren who never worked on the research but has been a consultant for Seaside Therapeutics. The drug contributed in diminishing their social anxiety which is the major problem among these kids. They are known to become very conscious when in a novel situation and put their families in great difficulty. A lay person can’t really understand the kind of improvement in question. However, researchers noted that kids who took this drug managed to become more interested in playing with and talking to others rather than staying in solitary.