Impact of risperidone long-acting injectable on hospitalisation and medication use in Canadian patients with schizophrenia

Summary

A retrospective chart review was used to assess hospitalisation and medication switching in patients with schizophrenia initiated on either intramuscular risperidone long-acting injectable (RLAI) (n=69) or oral atypical antipsychotics (n=93) in Canada.

In the RLAI-treated patients, compared with an identical period prior to RLAI use (40.8 months), there were significant decreases in hospitalisation (50.7 vs. 4.3%; p<0.0001) and duration of hospitalisation (23.5 vs. 0.3 days per patient; p<0.0001) when patients were switched to RLAI (mean treatment period 41.5 months). Compared with patients receiving oral atypicals for 57.2 months, RLAI patients had a reduced risk of hospitalisation (95% confidence interval 1.8–16.5% vs. 54.7–76.4%) and medication switching (95% confidence interval 34.6–58.4% vs. 55.7–76.4%).

By virtue of its periodic intramuscular administration, RLAI offers the efficacy and tolerability of an atypical medication without the compliance issues associated with oral drugs, and leads to significant decreases in hospitalisation.

Keywords:

• risperidone long-acting injectable
• schizophrenia-related hospitalisation
• oral atypical
• medication switching

Notes