A descriptive, open-label, long-term follow-up survey of psychotic patients receiving risperidone long-acting injectable: Preliminary results

Abstract

Objective. To assess clinical development in patients with psychotic disorders who received risperidone long-acting injectable (RLAI) in combination with psychosocial interventions as part of daily clinical practice in France. Methods. In this 18-month survey, patients were started on bi-monthly RLAI injections and integrated in a psychosocial treatment programme. Clinical progression was evaluated using the Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scales. In addition, data on patient characteristics, adherence, RLAI dosage, concomitant medications and rates and durations of hospitalization were collected. Results. Of the total of 120 patients included in the survey, 95 (79.2%) had previously received other treatments. Non-adherence was the most frequently reported reason for changing to RLAI (93 patients, 97.9%). With RLAI treatment, mean CGI-S scores improved from 5.6±0.5 at baseline to 3.6±1.1 at 18 months, whilst mean GAF scores increased from 34.0±12.7 to 67±13.5 (both P<0.0001). Furthermore, patients had fewer and shorter hospitalizations during the 18 months of RLAI treatment, compared to the preceding 18 months. Conclusions. Patients with psychotic disorders benefited from RLAI treatment in combination with psychosocial interventions, as shown by improvements in their clinical status and functioning and reduced hospitalization rates.