title: Clinical relevance of findings in trials of antipsychotics: systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is concern over the methods used to evaluate antipsychotic drugs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical relevance of findings in the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review identified studies of antipsychotics that used the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). A published method of translating these into Clinical Global Impression - Change scale (CGI-C) scores was used to measure clinical relevance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 98 data-sets were included in the BPRS analysis and 202 data-sets in the PANSS analysis. When aggregated scores were translated into notional CGI-C scores, most drugs reached 'minimal improvement' on the BPRS, but few reached that level for PANSS. This was true of both first- and second-generation drugs, including clozapine. Amisulpride and olanzapine had better than average CGI-C scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show improvements of limited clinical relevance. The CGI-C scores were better for the BPRS than for the PANSS.
authors.affiliation: Wrexham Academic Unit, Technology Park, Croesnewydd Road, Wrexham LL13 7YP, UK. peter.lepping@wales.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lepping
authors.forename: Rajvinder Singh
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sambhi
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whittington
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poole
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010919:Placebos; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D010919:Placebos