‘Real-world’ Study of People with Schizophrenia Compares Risks From Drug Treatments

A retrospective cohort study of nearly 19,000 people with schizophrenia found that certain antipsychotic drugs were associated with higher or lower risks of experiencing mental or physical health problems.

A team of researchers in Canada set out to compare, in a “real-world” setting, the risks of health problems associated with antipsychotics including clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine, and first-generation antipsychotics.

Outcome measures included death, hospitalization and emergency visits for mental or physical reasons. Hazard ratios of the events associated with the use of different drugs were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models.

The study examined 18,869 adults with schizophrenia living in Quebec, Canada who began taking antipsychotic drugs between January 1998 and December 2005.

Researchers found quetiapine and not taking any antipsychotics were both associated with a higher risk of health events, as compared to the other drugs. Clozapine, meanwhile, performed better. Authors said the results were robust across sensitivity analyses.

The authors of the study said the findings call for public health officials to monitor “real-world” performance of antipsychotics to optimize guidelines for treating schizophrenia.

The study was published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

– Terri Airov

Reference:

Vanasse A, Blais L, Courteau J, et al. Comparative effectiveness and safety of antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia treatment: a real-world observational study [published online ahead of print July 12, 2016]. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. doi:10.1111/acps.12621.