Switching stable patients with schizophrenia from depot and oral antipsychotics to long-acting injectable risperidone: efficacy, quality of life and functional outcome.

OBJECTIVE: This international, non-randomised study evaluated maintained efficacy and safety of Risperidone Long-Acting Injectable (RLAI) compared to previous medications. To investigate the possible effect of differences in national health care systems across Europe, the UK subset efficacy, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functioning data are reported here.
METHODS: Patients with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, symptomatically stable on antipsychotic medication, received intramuscular injections of RLAI 25 mg (to a maximum of 50 mg) every 2 weeks for 6 months.
RESULTS: Of 182 UK patients recruited; 79% had schizophrenia (87% paranoid), 21% other psychotic disorders; 96% had been hospitalised at sometime. Improvement in mean Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score was significant at 1 month through to endpoint (p = 0.0001). There were significant improvements in PANSS subscales (p <or= 0.001), PANSS-Marder subscores (p <or= 0.0391), and in Clinical Global Impression-Severity (p = 0.0001) at endpoint. Patients reported improvements in: HRQoL (p < 0.05), Global Assessment of Functioning (p = 0.0001) and patient satisfaction (p = 0.0001) at endpoint. The proportion of patients rating RLAI treatment as 'very good' increased from 10% to 40%. 55% (22/40) of patients hospitalised at baseline were discharged by endpoint.
CONCLUSION: Sustained, significant improvement in symptom control, HRQoL and functioning was seen in stable patients treated with RLAI over 6 months following a switch from previous antipsychotic medications. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.