Clozapine underutilization in treatment-resistant schizophrenia

Abstract

Abstract It has been shown that up to one third of patients with schizophrenia do not respond to antipsychotic therapy. Thus, treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) remains a major mental health care challenge. Clozapine has been shown to provide superior therapeutic benefits and is approved as first-line therapy for TRS. These benefits include improvement in both positive and negative symptoms, and reduction of suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia. Clozapine, however, remains significantly underused for TRS. A major reason for clozapine's underuse is its substantial adverse effect profile, mainly the risk of life-threatening agranulocytosis which necessitates regular hematologic monitoring. Another factor contributing to reduced clozapine prescribing is the increased use of other second-generation antipsychotics. In TRS patients, there is often a considerable delay in clozapine use, which is prescribed only after other unsuccessful second-generation antipsychotic trials. To combat this trend, there is a push for increased awareness to optimize clozapine prescribing. An important aspect in improving the use of clozapine therapy is physician and patient education. Furthermore, pharmacist involvement can improve clozapine prescription trends in TRS.