ITCI gave 150 people lumateperone (the treatment), and 150 people a placebo, for 4 weeks.All of these people were having significant schizophrenia symptoms at the start of the trial.After 4 weeks, the severity of schizophrenia symptoms was measured on the PANSS scale (lower scores indicate less illness), and the results were as follows:

Group 1 (placebo group): Mean PANSS score= 79.5; Standard Deviation = 17.92

Group 2 (treatment group): Mean PANSS score= 75.3; Standard Deviation = 17.92

These two groups of people represent samples from two populations of people with schizophrenia, some of whom have access to lumateperone, some without access.The trial is designed to compare these two groups to assess the efficacy of lumateperone to treat schizophrenia symptoms.

Now it is time to use the formal hypothesis testing procedure we have learned to try to reach a reasonable conclusion about whether or not lumateperone is an effective treatment for schizophrenia.Recall that the starting assumption is that the drug doesn't work, which means there is should be no difference in the mean PANSS scores for the populations of people with access to the drug, and without.

Please conduct a two sided t-test with

=.05.What is the p-value?Can we reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the populations of people with access to lumateperone and without access?In layman's terms, do you think the drug works?

Here is a link tothe company's press release about this drug trial(Links to an external site.)

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In a subsequent trial attempting to confirm the results of the trial we have been studying, the placebo group got fooled.They had a high response to the fake pills, and it made the trial fail to distinguish between the two groups.This happens frequently in trials for psychiatric drugs -it is much easier to measure things we can actually see (like the size of a tumor, for example) than subjective symptoms presented by people with mental health issues.On December 23rd 2019, lumateperone was approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia under the brand name Caplyta.