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New Study Showed Efficacy was Most Important Factor in Decision
to Stay on Antipsychotic Treatment for Schizophrenia
Findings also showed patients taking olanzapine stayed on treatment longer than
other antipsychotics
ATLANTA, May 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- People taking atypical
antipsychotics for schizophrenia were most likely to discontinue therapy due to
continued presence of psychiatric symptoms, according to data presented today
at the 158th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Findings also revealed that patients taking olanzapine were significantly more
likely to remain on medication longer than patients taking other atypical and
conventional antipsychotics.
"Schizophrenia is a chronic disease that requires lifelong therapy. Finding a
medication to which patients will adhere is essential," said Michael Stevens,
M.D., director of Psychopharmacology Research at Valley Mental Health in Salt
Lake City, Utah. "These data demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia
were more likely to stay on medication longer with olanzapine compared to other
antipsychotics."
Almost 60 percent of people with schizophrenia do not take their medications as
prescribed by their physicians.(1) According to the APA's guidelines for the
treatment of schizophrenia, 60 to 70 percent of patients relapse within one
year without maintenance treatment and almost 90 percent relapse within two
years.(2)
Key Findings
In the study, "Differential Rates of Treatment Discontinuation in Clinical
Trials as a Measure of Treatment Effectiveness of Atypical Antipsychotics,"
researchers reviewed treatment discontinuation rates and reasons for
discontinuation from four 24 to 28 week randomized, double-blind clinical
trials involving 1627 patients with schizophrenia taking widely prescribed
atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine and ziprasidone).
The study compared discontinuation rates and the probability of staying on
medication for patients taking olanzapine against patients taking the other
atypicals. According to the study:
* Olanzapine-treated patients (n=822) were significantly more likely to stay
on medication longer (19.1 vs. 16.1 weeks, p.