Patients with schizophrenia previously stabilized on conventional depot antipsychotics experience significant clinical improvements following treatment with long-acting risperidone.
BACKGROUND
Conventional depot antipsychotics can provide constant pharmacologic treatment, eliminating partial compliance and reducing relapse risk. Atypical antipsychotics, have improved clinical profiles but require daily dosing, compromising their overall effectiveness. As oral risperidone provides safety and efficacy benefits over oral haloperidol, improvements may be realized by replacing conventional with atypical agents in long-acting therapy. This report examines 50-weeks of long-acting risperidone therapy in patients previously stabilized with conventional depot antipsychotics.


METHODS
A multi-center, open-label study enrolled 725 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, judged clinically stable and maintained on stable antipsychotic doses for > or =4 weeks. Assignment by clinician judgment to receive 25-75 mg of long-acting risperidone every 2 weeks for 50 weeks followed, with performance of standard safety and efficacy assessments. Data are presented on patients receiving conventional depot antipsychotic monotherapy at study entry.


RESULTS
In the 188 (25.9%) patients receiving conventional depot antipsychotic monotherapy at entry, mild-to-moderate mean (+/-S.D.) Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)-total scores improved significantly after receiving long-acting risperidone (64.2 +/- 18.9 to 58.2 +/- 20.3; P < 0.001). Clinical improvement of > or =20%, 40%, or 60% reduction in PANSS-total score, occurred in 52%, 34%, and 16% of patients, respectively. ESRS subjective ratings and objective physician ratings (Parkinsonism) decreased significantly (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Stable patients with mild, residual symptomatology treated with conventional depot antipsychotics experienced significant improvement in psychiatric and movement disorder symptomatology following 1-year of treatment with long-acting risperidone.
Lasser
Robert A
RA
Janssen Medical Affairs, LLC 1125 Trenton-Harbourton Road, Office A20904, Titusville, NJ 08560-0200, USA. rlasser@janus.jnj.com
Bossie
Cynthia A
CA
Gharabawi
Georges M
GM
Turner
Martin
M
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018967:Risperidone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D018967:Risperidone