OBJECTIVE: Thioridazine is a first-generation antipsychotic drug that was withdrawn from the market worldwide in 2005. The outcome of clinically stable schizophrenia patients who used thioridazine before market withdrawal was evaluated. METHODS: Nationwide registers in Finland were utilized to study thioridazine use, hospitalization rate and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Although thioridazine use continued to diminish year after year, the hospitalization rate remained constant until the withdrawal year of 2005, when the percentage of patients hospitalized for schizophrenia doubled. CONCLUSION: The market withdrawal of thioridazine predisposed many stable patients towards psychotic relapses. In order to minimize this kind of risk, an overall risk-benefit assessment and a clear-cut plan for the replacement of an antipsychotic should be established before market withdrawal.
OBJECTIVE:Thioridazine is a first-generation antipsychotic drug that was withdrawn from the market worldwide in 2005. The outcome of clinically stable schizophreniapatients who used thioridazine before market withdrawal was evaluated. METHODS: Nationwide registers in Finland were utilized to study thioridazine use, hospitalization rate and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Although thioridazine use continued to diminish year after year, the hospitalization rate remained constant until the withdrawal year of 2005, when the percentage of patients hospitalized for schizophrenia doubled. CONCLUSION: The market withdrawal of thioridazine predisposed many stable patients towards psychotic relapses. In order to minimize this kind of risk, an overall risk-benefit assessment and a clear-cut plan for the replacement of an antipsychotic should be established before market withdrawal.
Authors: Rollo J G Sheldon; Marco Pereira; George Aldersley; Tim Sales; Jed Hewitt; Ray Lyon; Richard Whale Journal: Ther Adv Psychopharmacol Date: 2022-01-30