Long-acting Injectable Antipsychotic Treatment Research Articles

Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Treatment for Schizophrenia in Asian Population: A Scoping Review.

Evidence of comparative benefits of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in Asian patients with schizophrenia has been inconsistent. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the current evidence in the past ten years and provide an overview of efficacy, safety, treatment adherence, patient attitudes, and healthcare resource utilization of LAI in this population. A systematic search was conducted with a pre-defined search strategy in six electronic databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycArticles. A total of 46 studies were included, including 15 cohort studies, 13 single-arm trials, 10 randomized controlled trials, four mirror-image studies, three cross-sectional studies, and one controlled clinical trial. Paliperidone palmitate once-monthly injection (27/46) and risperidone LAI (14/46) were the most frequently investigated LAIs. Compared with oral antipsychotic medications (OAMs), LAIs demonstrated a lower rate of relapse/hospitalization and comparable improvement in efficacy. Adverse events (AEs) were similar between LAIs and OAMs, although types and incidence varied. Significant reduction in the length of hospitalization and number of outpatient visits/inpatient admission was observed after initiation of LAIs. These findings suggest that LAI demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety among Asian populations with schizophrenia in comparison to OAMs. Better adherence and lower relapse were observed in patients receiving LAIs from published evidence. Future research is warranted to better understand the comprehensive performance of LAI in specific population or context.

Effect of chronotype on course of treatment in patients with schizophrenia under long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment: one-year community mental health center experience.

A chronotype is defined as the behavioral manifestation underlying the biological clock, which is formed by the effects of physical and genetic factors. It has recently been found to be associated with many mental and physical illnesses. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of chronotypes on the treatment course of schizophrenia. This is a clinical retrospective study. The study population was composed of subjects with schizophrenia who received long-acting, injectable antipsychotic medication. The Demographic Data Form, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)were administered to the patients. In addition, the retrospective follow-up files of the patients for the last year were investigated. The obtained data were analyzed statistically. The chronotypes of 97 patients with schizophrenia who volunteered to participate in the study were 38.2% (n = 37) eveningness, 27.8% (n = 27) morningness, and 34% (n = 33) intermediate type. Compared to morningness and intermediate type, eveningness was associated with a higher number of acute exacerbations in patients with schizophrenia, while intermediate type and morningness did not differ significantly from each other. Our study, as a clinical study, supports the relationship between eveningness and poor prognosis in schizophrenia. It may be helpful to consider the chronotype in the clinical follow-up of patients with schizophrenia and to be aware of individuals with the evening chronotype, which is predicted to have a higher risk of exacerbation.

Use of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in a Clinical Sample of Community-Dwelling Patients with Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders in Rural Greece.

Data on the use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in rural community mental healthcare settings are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns of LAIs in a clinical sample of patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders in rural Greece. All patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders who regularly attend the Mobile Mental Health Unit of the prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia (MMHU I-T) in northwestern Greece were included in the study. The sample consists of 87 patients (59 males and 28 females) with a mean age of 54.4 years and a mean illness duration of 28 years. Most patients (72.4%) received antipsychotic monotherapy, and nearly 30% received an LAI formulation, mostly a second-generation LAI (20 of 26 patients, 76.9%). The treatment regimen comprised benzodiazepines in one-third of the patients and antidepressants in one-quarter. There was no statistically significant association between treatment regimen and the clinical and demographic variables studied, except for biological sex (female). The percentage of patients treated with LAIs in this study was almost three times higher than the rate previously reported in Greece and is higher than the rates reported in other countries. Patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders in rural Greece may have adequate access to innovative treatment with second-generation LAIs. Further research is needed to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of LAI treatment in rural communities and to elucidate the factors associated with such treatment.

Efficacy of oral versus long-acting antipsychotic treatment in patients with early-phase schizophrenia in Europe and Israel: a large-scale, open-label, randomised trial (EULAST)

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with periods of remission and relapse. As discontinuation of antipsychotic medication is the most important reason for relapse, long-term maintenance treatment is key. Whether intramuscular long-acting (depot) antipsychotics are more efficacious than oral medication in preventing medication discontinuation is still unresolved. We aimed to compare time to all-cause discontinuation in patients randomly allocated to long-acting injectable (LAI) versus oral medication. EULAST was a pragmatic, randomised, open-label trial conducted at 50 general hospitals and psychiatric specialty clinics in 15 European countries and Israel. Patients aged 18 years and older, with DSM-IV schizophrenia (as confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5 plus) and having experienced their first psychotic episode from 6 months to 7 years before screening, were randomly allocated (1:1:1:1) using block randomisation to LAI paliperidone, LAI aripiprazole, or the respective oral formulations of these antipsychotics. Randomisation was stratified by country and duration of illness (6 months up to 3 years vs 4 to 7 years). Patients were followed up for up to 19 months. The primary endpoint was discontinuation, regardless of the reason, during 19 months of treatment. We used survival analysis to assess the time until all-cause discontinuation in the intention-to-treat (ITT) group, and per protocol analyses were also done. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02146547, and is complete. Between Feb 24, 2015, and Dec 15, 2018, 533 individuals were recruited and assessed for eligibility. The ITT population included 511 participants, with 171 (33%) women and 340 (67%) men, and a mean age of 30·5 (SD 9·6) years. 410 (80%) of 511 participants were White, 35 (7%) were Black, 20 (4%) were Asian, and 46 (9%) were other ethnicity. In the combined oral antipsychotics treatment group of 247 patients, 72 (29%) patients completed the study and 175 (71%) met all-cause discontinuation criteria. In the combined LAI treatment arm of 264 patients, 95 (36%) completed the study and 169 (64%) met the all-cause discontinuation criteria. Cox regression analyses showed that treatment discontinuation for any cause did not differ between the two combined treatment groups (hazard ration [HR] 1·16, 95% CI 0·94-1·43, p=0·18). No significant difference was found in the time to all-cause discontinuation between the combined oral and combined LAI treatment groups (log rank test χ2=1·87 [df 1]; p=0·17). During the study, 121 psychiatric hospitalisations occurred in 103 patients, and one patient from each of the LAI groups died; the death of the patient assigned to paliperidone was assessed to be unrelated to the medication, but the cause of other patient's death was not shared with the study team. 86 (25%) of 350 participants with available data met akathisia criteria and 70 (20%) met parkinsonism criteria at some point during the study. We found no substantial advantage for LAI antipsychotic treatment over oral treatment regarding time to discontinuation in patients with early-phase schizophrenia, indicating that there is no reason to prescribe LAIs instead of oral antipsychotics if the goal is to prevent discontinuation of antipsychotic medication in daily clinical practice. Lundbeck and Otsuka.

High Rate of Discontinuation during Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Treatment in Patients with Psychotic Disorders

Treatment discontinuation is a major challenge in routine clinical settings. Despite poor adherence to antipsychotic medication, long acting injectable (LAI) formulations are an underutilized option in psychotic disorders. Recently, an earlier and broader use of LAIs has been emphasized. However, few studies have evaluated the factors associated with LAI antipsychotic discontinuation in ordinary clinical practice. The main purpose of the present study was, therefore, to identify the factors associated with LAI discontinuation in a real-world setting. Patients in treatment with LAI antipsychotics were recruited. A Cox regression analysis was applied considering a 12-month follow-up period. Moreover, a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was applied to compare the single treatment LAI antipsychotic groups in terms of time to discontinuation. Our analysis showed an LAI discontinuation rate at 12 months, corresponding to 28.8%, with olanzapine and aripiprazole having a longer time to discontinuation compared to zuclopenthixol. The results of the present study can help clinicians with their choice of LAI antipsychotic according to patients' characteristics and in a context of precision medicine. Increasing knowledge about factors affecting discontinuation of LAI antipsychotics can improve the prescribing practices of these compounds. Individualized approaches may ameliorate long-term patients' treatment adherence, thus preventing the long-term disability caused by psychotic disorders.

Long-acting injectable antipsychotics for the treatment of bipolar disorder: evidence from mirror-image studies.

Clinical trials and real-world data have shown that long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) might be an effective therapeutic option also for people with bipolar disorder (BD). However, complementing evidence from mirror-image studies investigating LAIs in BD is scattered and has not been systematically evaluated so far. We thus performed a review of observational mirror-image studies testing the effectiveness of LAI treatment on clinical outcomes in people with BD. Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycInfo electronic databases were systematically searched (via Ovid) up to November 2022. We included six mirror-image studies that compared relevant clinical outcomes between the 12-months after (post-treatment period) and the 12-months before (pre-treatment period) the initiation of a LAI treatment in adults with BD. We found that LAI treatment is associated with a significant reduction in days spent in hospital and number of hospitalizations. Moreover, LAI treatment seems to be associated with a significant decrease in the proportion of individuals with at least one hospital admission, even though data on this outcome were reported by just two studies. In addition, studies consistently estimated a significant reduction of hypo-/manic relapses after LAI treatment initiation, while the effect of LAIs for depressive episodes is less clear. Finally, LAI treatment initiation was associated with a lower number of emergency department visits in the year after LAI initiation. The findings of this review seem to suggest that the use of LAIs is an effective strategy to improve major clinical outcomes in people with BD. Nonetheless, additional research, based on standardized assessments of prevalent polarity and relapses, is needed to identify the clinical characteristics of individuals with BD who are most likely to benefit from a LAI treatment.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics as a Predictor of Relapse in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A 1-Year Pilot Study.

Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) have been shown to reduce acute episodes of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). However, breakthrough relapses are frequent, possibly because of underdosing in clinical practice. In this framework, the advantages of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) may be overlooked. This study explored the association of low steady-state LAI levels with a higher risk of relapse in SSDs, despite the use of a licensed posology. Forty-eight clinically stable outpatients with SSD underwent LAI-TDM using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for routine observational purposes. Baseline anamnestic, pharmacological, and psychometric evaluations compared subjects with "under-range" versus "in-range" LAI serum levels; between-group comparisons for different LAI treatments were also performed. A binary logistic regression explored which baseline factors (age, sex, previous hospitalizations, psychopathology, specific LAI treatment, and underrange serum levels) predicted relapse during the next 12 months. Baseline comparisons did not show significant between-group differences, except for a higher percentage of underrange values in individuals receiving olanzapine pamoate. A total of 10 patients (20.8%) relapsed during the follow-up; only underrange LAI levels predicted the event (odds ratio 0.03, 95% confidence interval 0.01-0.36; P = 0.005). Even if relapse remains as a multifactorial event, LAI-TDM may identify subjects at risk for this negative outcome, thus optimizing antipsychotic maintenance treatment in the context of precision medicine. The finding of underrange LAI plasma levels in real-world practice should prompt adequate monitoring of clinically stable outpatients to identify the early signs of psychopathological deterioration.

Long-term Outcomes of Early Use of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia.

Background: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) may potentially benefit patients requiring psychiatric hospitalization during the early stages of schizophrenia. However, few studies have compared the long-term effectiveness between patients who switched to LAIs and those who remained on oral antipsychotics (OAPs).Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we constructed a population-based cohort with 19,813 new OAP users with ICD-9-CM-defined schizophrenia who were hospitalized from 2002 to 2005. Within this cohort, 678 patients who switched to LAIs during their hospitalization were identified. The LAI group was matched to patients who remained on OAPs (n = 678). The LAI cohort was further subdivided for analysis into patients who switched to LAIs within 3 years of OAP initiation ("an early stage") and those who switched after 3 years ("a late stage"). Conditional Cox regressions and conditional negative binomial regressions were used to estimate the risk of death and the number of hospital visits between the two groups.Results: During the 13-year study period, 312 patients switched to LAIs within the first 3 years of OAP initiation. All- and natural-cause mortalities in these patients were significantly lower than in those who remained on OAPs. The hazard ratios (HRs) for all- and natural-cause mortalities were 0.49 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.87) and 0.30 (95% CI, 0.15-0.60), respectively. No significant decrease associated with LAIs was observed in unnatural-cause mortality. Patients receiving LAIs had lower risks of rehospitalization (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.56, 95% CI, 0.45-0.69), psychiatric hospitalization (IRR = 0.63, 95% CI, 0.50-0.81), and psychiatric emergency room visits (IRR = 0.58, 95% CI, 0.45-0.75) compared to patients who remained on OAPs. Use of LAIs in the late stage of treatment did not decrease the risk of relapse or mortality.Conclusions: Switching to LAIs during the first 3 years of treatment improved antipsychotic adherence, decreased relapses, and reduced long-term mortality. Our results provide evidence to support the benefits of early LAI treatment in schizophrenia.

Long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment during pregnancy: Outcomes for women at a tertiary maternity hospital

Our study aimed to examine pregnancy, neonatal and psychosocial outcomes for women treated with LAIs at tertiary maternity hospital. A retrospective review of all women who were treated with LAIs between 1999 and 2017. Cases were identified via the hospital dispensary system and outcome data were extracted case notes as well as the midwifery notification system. Measures included sociodemographic data, smoking, alcohol and illicit substance use, pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, and neonatal outcomes. Psychosocial profiles such as psychiatric admission during pregnancy and statutory child protection involvement were also assessed. Where available, outcomes were compared with state population data. The study found 38 pregnancies to 36 women, who had LAI treatment. Two congenital malformations (5.7%) were recorded. Compared to general population data, pregnant women treated with LAIs were more likely to have obstetric complications including gestational diabetes and pregnancy hypertension and special care nursery admission for their babies. They also had elevated rates of psychiatric admissions during pregnancy and statutory child protection involvement. Outcomes were similar first and second generation LAIs exposure. As women on LAI have limited options for treatment of their psychotic disorders, the findings point towards a need for enhanced multidisciplinary pregnancy care for this vulnerable cohort.

Impairment of the cardiac ejection fraction by blocking dopamine D2 receptors induced by long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment.

Introduction: Atypical antipsychotics have numerous benefits compared to conventional ones in respect to the possible adverse effects. However, like the other ones, they may induce direct cardiovascular alterations, probably through the apoptotic effect of dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) blockade. The main objective of the study was to assess the cardiac ejection fraction (EF) using transthoracic speckle tracking echocardiography (TSTE) in patients treated with long-acting injectable (LAI) atypical antipsychotics. Patients, Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 123 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder divided in four samples according to their treatment: Aripiprazole, Olanzapine, Paliperidone and Risperidone. We analyzed socio-demographic data, the intensity of psychiatric symptoms, the duration of psychosis and of LAI treatment, and the cardiac EF measured with TSTE. Results: We found no statistically significant differences between the four antipsychotics regarding the values of the EF. Nevertheless, we observed a trend indicating that patients treated with an antipsychotic associated with a lower affinity for the DRD2, such as Olanzapine, have higher EF values than patients treated with antipsychotics with a stronger binding to the DRD2, such as Paliperidone and Risperidone. Patients receiving Aripiprazole, which has the strongest affinity for the DRD2 from all four antipsychotics but is also a partial DRD2 agonist, display higher EF values than those on Paliperidone and Risperidone. Conclusions: Antipsychotics with a lower affinity for the DRD2 or a partial agonism for it may be associated with higher EF. Cardiac monitoring should be performed periodically in patients on LAI antipsychotic therapy.

Effect of Transition to Long-acting Injectable Antipsychotic Treatment on Care Burden in Schizophrenia

Bu çalışmadaki temel amacımız, oral tedaviden uzun etkili antipsikotik tedavilere geçişin şizofreni hastalarında bakım veren yükü üzerinde oluşturduğu farkı araştırmaktır. Yükle ilgili olabilecek diğer faktörler de tartışılmıştır. Çalışmaya en az bir yıldır şizofreni tanısı almış ve oral paliperidon veya aripiprazol alan hastaların bakıcıları (n:138) dahil edildi. Zarit Bakıcı Yükü Ölçeği (ZBYÖ) ve Klinik Global İzlenim-Hastalık Şiddeti (KGİÖ-Ş) ölçeği başlangıçta ve uzun etkili enjektabl antipsikotiklere geçişten 1 yıl sonra uygulandı. Bakım yükü ile ilişkili olabilecek diğer faktörler de ele alındı. Uzun etkili enjekte edilebilir antipsikotiklere geçildikten sonra ZBYÖ ve KGİÖ-Ş puanlarında anlamlı düşüşler bulund. Paliperidon ve aripiprazol kullanan gruplar karşılaştırıldığında; ZBYÖ puanlarındaki düşüş anlamlı değilken, KGİÖ-Ş puanlarındaki düşüş anlamlıydı. Bakım veren yükü, hastanın yaşı, KGİÖ-Ş puanı, aynı evde geçirilen süre, hastalık süresi ve hastaneye yatış sayısı ile pozitif korelasyon gösterdi. Bakım verenin yaşı, eğitim düzeyi ve geliri arasında anlamlı negatif ilişki bulundu. Sonuç olarak bu çalışmada bakım veren yükünün azaltılmasında değiştirilebilir bir faktör olan uzun etkili enjekte edilebilir antipsikotiklere geçilmesinin önemi vurgulanmıştır.

Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Treatment in Schizophrenia and Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review

Objectives: Co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) among individuals with schizophrenia are a prevalent and complex psychiatric comorbidity, which is associated with increased symptom severity, worsened illness trajectory and high rates of treatment non-adherence. Recent evidence suggests that the use of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics may provide an effective treatment option for individuals with this dual-diagnosis.Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the databases PubMed, PsychInfo and Google Scholar for English-language studies, investigating the use of LAIs in co-occurring schizophrenia and substance use disorders (SCZ-SUDs).Results: Eight reports [one case study (n = 1), one case series (n = 8), three open-label retrospective studies (n = 75), and three randomized controlled trials (n = 273)] investigated the use of LAI antipsychotics in 357 participants with SCZ-SUDs [alcohol use disorder: 5 studies, n = 282; cocaine use disorder: 5 studies, n = 85; amphetamine use disorder: 1 study, n = 1; cannabis use disorder: 3 studies, n = 160; opioid use disorder: 3 studies, n = 19; methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use disorder: 2 studies, n = 9; ketamine use disorder: 1 study, n = 4] and were included in this systematic review. Findings indicate significant improvements in substance use related outcomes across 7 of 8 studies, while in 6 of 8 studies, significant improvements in psychopathology-related outcomes were reported.Conclusions: LAI antipsychotics may be an efficacious intervention option for the treatment of SCZ-SUDs. However, varying methodological rigor, generally small sample sizes and heterogeneity of samples, settings, substances of abuse, tested LAIs and comparators, as well as psychosocial cotreatments and level of reported detail across studies requires that these findings be considered preliminary and interpreted with caution. Further research is required to better understand the effects of LAIs among individuals with SCZ-SUDs.

Rating Opportunity for Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Initiation Index (ROLIN).

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric condition with devastating consequences for the individual's functionality and leading to severe disability. Lack of insight and non-adherence to treatment remain the most important factors in the progression of the disease to chronicity. Despite their proven effectiveness in preventing relapses, reducing morbidity and mortality, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are still underused. One of the causes invoked is the lack of guidelines or protocols for initiating LAIs.Objective: The aim of this article is to present Rating Opportunity for Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Initiation Index (ROLIN), a clinician-rated index that rates the important factors of the disorder across seven items: age, duration of illness, relapses, antipsychotic treatment response, family support, antipsychotic existing formulation and adherence.Method: A retrospective study in which all patients with schizophrenia discharged on oral antipsychotics without LAIs treatment lifetime were evaluated with ROLIN for opportunity for LAIs initiation.Results: Of 225 consecutive patients, 126 patients (56%) had a strong indication for initiating LAI (score between 25 and 35). Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for checking the normal distribution of values (95% CI for the mean = 9.5781 to 20.4219; 95% CI for the median = 6.5920 to 24.8161; SD = 9.7907; Coefficient of Skewness = 0.0743; Coefficient of Kurtosis = −1.1377).Conclusion: This paper proposed an instrument designed to improve treatment in schizophrenia using a simple conceptual model which integrates important predictors of good or poor outcomes.

Predictors of long-acting injectable antipsychotic prescription at discharge in patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) increase drug compliance and offer a reliable treatment option with stable pharmacokinetics. The aim of our study is to examine the rate and predictors of LAIs' prescription at discharge in inpatients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. This retrospective study included 400 inpatients. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, the treatments applied in the past and prescribed at discharge were obtained from the hospitalization files. We compared these characteristics of those who were given LAI treatment at discharge to the patients who were given oral treatments. Thirty-nine percent of the patients were prescribed a LAI at discharge. Duration of illness was longer, and number of previous hospitalizations was higher in the LAI group. Nonadherence to the antipsychotics before the hospitalization, the previous history of LAI use, lack of insight at the admission and no previous antidepressant use were found as independent contributors to LAI prescription as the treatment of discharge in logistic regression analysis. Our study showed that LAIs are used at a high rate in our clinic; however, they are still initiated at a later stage, mostly in chronic patients with a lack of insight and compliance at admission.

Effect of long acting injectable antipsychotics on course and hospitalizations in bipolar disorder – a naturalistic mirror image study

Purpose To determining whether the addition of a long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI-AP) has a positive effect on prognosis in bipolar disorder. Materials and methods Medical records of patients with bipolar disorder who were using LAI-AP at least for one year in the community mental health center (CMHC) until March 2020 were investigated. Comparisons were made between the period of one year before and after the initiation of LAI-AP. Hospital admission was the primary outcome. Residual symptom severity and functionality were evaluated with Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results There were 197 patients with bipolar disorder who were attending to the CMHC and 17 of them were under maintenance treatment with LAI-AP for at least one year. The LAI-APs used were aripiprazole (n = 8), paliperidone (n = 5) and risperidone (n = 4). Duration of illness was 13.5 ± 8.02 years and duration of LAI-AP treatment was 24.8 ± 22.74 months (median: 18). During the one-year period after the LAI-AP initiation, there were fewer days spent in hospital (2.5 ± 5.68 vs. 15.5 ± 20.59 days, p = .026) and the number of hospitalizations was lower than the year before the LAI-AP use (0.1 ± 0.39 vs. 0.9 ± 1.24 hospitalizations, p = .013). During the recovery period with LAI antipsychotics, there were mild residual symptoms presented with mean PSP (70.2), YMRS (1.7) and BDI (7.6) scores. Conclusion LAI-AP use may have positive effect on course for selected patients with a long history of bipolar disorder.

PMH13 Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs before and after Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic (LAI) Use in Commercially Insured Young Adults with Schizophrenia

This study examined disease burden before and after initiation of LAIs in commercially insured young adults with schizophrenia. This retrospective observational cohort study used IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, 1/1/2008-12/31/2019. Patients with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient claims with schizophrenia diagnosis were identified; date of first diagnosis was index date. Patients were aged 18-35 years at index date, with continuous enrollment ≥1-year baseline and ≥1-year follow-up, with ≥1 LAI during follow-up. A pre-post analysis was conducted with paired t-tests to compare relapse (defined as hospitalization or emergency department visit), healthcare resource utilization, and costs before (from index date to LAI initiation) and after LAI initiation (to end of follow-up). Outcomes were reported as Per-Patient-Per-Month (PPPM). We identified 2222 patients who initiated LAIs after index date (mean age=22.9, 70.4% male), with 1421 (64.0%) initiating LAIs after post-index oral antipsychotic treatment. Remaining 36.0% initiated LAIs as index treatment. Average time from index date to LAI initiation was 433.1 days (median 243), and from LAI initiation to end of follow up was 744.0 days (median 630). PPPM relapse event rate was 0.109 before LAI initiation, and 0.073 after LAI initiation (p<0.0001). All-cause direct medical costs (excluding medication), medication costs, and total costs were $4587, $311, and $4898 PPPM before and $2535, $542, and $3078 PPPM after LAI initiation, respectively. All these cost numbers were statistically significantly different (P<0.0001) from before to after LAI initiation. In commercially insured young adults with schizophrenia, use of LAIs was associated with decreased relapse event rate vs the period before LAI initiation. Although medication costs increased in the post LAI period, the cost increase was more than offset by the decreased costs associated with total care. This study demonstrated that LAI treatment for young adults with schizophrenia is associated with significant cost savings to commercial payers.

Predictors of long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment discontinuation in outpatients with schizophrenia: relevance of the Drug Attitude Inventory-10.

Given the importance of patients' subjective experience and attitudes in the management of severe mental illness, the present study evaluated their potential role as predictors of future continuation of long-acting injectable antipsychotic maintenance treatment (LAI-AMT) in clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia switching from an oral therapy. Retrospective data from 59 subjects receiving LAI-AMT for at least 6 months were collected. Patients who continued LAI treatment (n = 32) were compared to those who discontinued it (n = 27), assessing baseline socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, psychopathological features (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and Young Mania Rating Scale) and patient-reported experience of treatment through Drug Attitude Inventory 10-item (DAI-10) and Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptics short form. Binary logistic and Cox regression analyses explored the predictive role of the mentioned variables on treatment discontinuation. The Kaplan-Meier estimator compared dropout from LAI treatment in subsamples with different characteristics. Unemployment and lower baseline DAI-10 scores predicted LAI-AMT discontinuation. No major differences were detected in other socio-demographic, clinical or psychometric indexes. When switching from oral to LAI-AMT, the preliminary assessment of attitude towards drug might be clinically relevant, allowing the identification of patients at risk for treatment discontinuation.

Schizophrenia long-acting antipsychotics initiation index (SLAAII)

IntroductionBackground In individuals with schizophrenia, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) have been shown to be beneficial in preventing relapse. An important issue in these individuals is poor medication adherence, which can negatively affect outcomes. Although currently underutilized in comparison with oral antipsychotics, LAIs can be an important treatment option for addressing the high rates of poor adherence to medication in individuals with schizophrenia. There is a lack of published evidence and treatment guidelines on optimal strategies for the initiation of treatment with LAIs, which would at least partly explain why LAIs remain underutilized.ObjectivesAims The aim of this report is to present an index for initiation of LAI in schizophrenia.MethodsA restrospective chart review of a cohort of 1000 consecutive patients hospitalized with schizophrenia in Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry and Neurology Brasov, Romania, between 2011 and 2019. The number and reasons of LAIs initiation were evaluated.ResultsRezults The results shows a reduced number of LAIs initiation and led to the realization of an index entitled Schizophrenia long-acting antipsychotics initiation index (SLAAII) with 6 domains (age, duration of illness, number of relapses, response to oral treatment and antipsychotic available formulation), each with 3 response variants rated with 5 points, 3 points and 1 point. The maximum posible score is 30 points and minimum 6 points. A score above 20 points is a strong indication for LAI initiation.ConclusionsSchizophrenia long-acting antipsychotics initiation index (SLAAII) could be a very useful tool to facilitate the initiation of LAI treatment in patients with schizophrenia.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Predictors of discontinuation and hospitalization during long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

The aim of this study was to evaluate discontinuation and hospitalization rates in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder who were treated with long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics. We recorded clinical data about the period before the LAI treatment, when LAI treatment was initiated, and during the LAI treatment. Variables related to early (<8 weeks) and other LAI discontinuations and hospitalization were analyzed. Out of 452 patients, 14.4% of them discontinued their LAI treatment before 8 weeks, another 24.8% of the patients stopped their LAI by themselves later. Early discontinuers were younger, had shorter duration of illness, and less educated. Sixty-two (27.2%) of the patients were hospitalized under LAI treatment and 40% of the hospitalizations occurred in initial 6 months. Rate of hospitalization was 36.1% in the group who discontinued LAI after 8 weeks. In logistic regression analysis, younger age, history of combined antipsychotic treatment, number of hospitalizations before LAI, use of LAI for less than 6 months and alcohol abuse under LAI treatment were found related to hospitalization. Our findings suggested that discontinuation and hospitalization are still common among the patients who were treated with LAI antipsychotics.

The management of long-term treatment of patient with schizophrenia: results of a survey carried out in Italy

The management plan of patients with schizophrenia includes a multidimensional and integrated approach, consisting of pharmacological, psychological and psychosocial interventions. Among pharmacological approaches, the development of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) has radically changed the treatment plan of patients with schizophrenia. LAI can be successfully used in patients with multiple episodes, with partial or poor adherence to treatments and are very useful also in first episode patients. LAIs have been proven to be effective and with a good safety and tolerability profile, but they are still used in a few cases in the clinical routine practice. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate attitudes and preferences of psychiatrists in the Italian routine care towards LAI and to identify the communication skills adopted in the routine care for the prescription of LAI. The final sample consists of 274 clinicians, recruited by phone call (n=257) and online (n=17). The main findings are: the psychoeducational approach is essential for improving patients' adherence to pharmacological treatments and their personal and social functioning; the involvement of family members is essential for improving adherence to treatments; LAIs are frequently used due to their efficacy and good tolerability profile, compared to first generation depot antipsychotics. Based on our findings, the ideal patient to be switched to LAI treatment is represented by a person with poor adherence to treatments, at the onset of the disorder, or with a poor tolerability to side effects.