Author Interviews, Compliance, JAMA, Pharmacology, Schizophrenia / 23.05.2014
Schizophrenia Treatment Maintenance: Comparison of Long Acting Injectable Medications
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Scott Stroup, MD, MPH
Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Program for Intervention Effectiveness Research,
Associate Director for Adult Services, Division of Mental Health Services and Policy Research, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York
MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Stroup: We conducted a study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health that compared long-acting injectable antipsychotics for people with schizophrenia. Long-acting injectable antipsychotics, also known as depot antipsychotics, are used to promote treatment adherence. We compared a newer injectable antipsychotic, paliperidone palmitate, to an older one, haloperidol decanoate. We did not find an advantage for the newer drug in overall effectiveness. The drugs performed very similarly, and were tolerated about the same.
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