LONDON: Schizophrenia patients given a cheap, older drug are less likely to die prematurely than people on newer treatments, despite the older product's well-known adverse side effects, Finnish researchers said yesterday.

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder in which patients experience distorted thinking, hallucinations and abnormal emotions.

The finding may lead to wider use of clozapine - sold by Novartis as Clozaril, but also available as a generic - instead of newer drugs like AstraZeneca's Seroquel, the current market leader.