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Switching to Aripiprazole Safe and Effective in Schizophrenia: Presented at APA

By Alison Palkhivala

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- May 23, 2002 -- Switching schizophrenic patients to new antipsychotic aripiprazole from both conventional and atypical antipsychotics appears to be both safe and well tolerated.

For the study, 311 stable schizophrenic patients taking olanzapine, risperidone, or haloperidol were switched to aripiprazole using one of three switching strategies. These strategies consisted of a switch to a full dose of aripiprazole without titration from prior antipsychotic treatment, switching to a full dose of aripiprazole along with tapering of the previous treatment for two weeks, or switching to aripiprazole with titration up along with titration down of the previous medication over two weeks.

The study was led by Daniel E. Casey, MD, from the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center of the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oregon. The study was presented here this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Regardless of the switching strategy employed, the switching process was generally safe and well tolerated. Eight weeks after switching to aripiprazole, patients showed improvements in extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and reductions in prolactin levels and weight. They also showed statistically significant improvements in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Patients switched from olanzapine showed a statistically significant weight loss of 2.03 kg (p<0.001) as well as a decrease in prolactin levels and improvement in EPS. Those switched from risperidone also had statistically significant decreases in prolactin levels (p<0.001), as well as reductions in weight and EPS. Those switched from haloperidol had improvements in EPS and decreased prolactin levels.

Aripiprazole was generally well-tolerated, with the most common side effect being insomnia. Most side effects were mild to moderate.

Aripiprazole, a novel antipsychotic, is jointly produced by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. In 2001, they submitted the drug for approval to regulatory agencies in the United States and Europe.

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