Aripiprazole: 6-month outcomes in a retrospective naturalistic study

Abstract

Aim. The efficacy of aripiprazole has been demonstrated in randomised controlled trials, but due to inclusion and exclusion criteria, these may not be representative of clinical practice. The aim of this naturalistic study was to investigate patients from an acute mental health trust who received aripiprazole, using treatment discontinuation as a primary outcome measure. Method. All patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who had received aripiprazole were identified from pharmacy records, and data collected by retrospective case note review. Results. Seventy subjects were included in the study. A total of 28 (40%, n=70) patients remained on aripiprazole monotherapy at 6 months. The most common reason for discontinuation was lack of effect, seen in 29 patients; only 12 patients discontinued due to adverse effects. Thirty-five percent of the subjects had previously been treated with clozapine, although this did not appear to influence outcome. Conclusion. Despite limitations of the naturalistic methodology used in this study, it appears that aripiprazole is relatively well tolerated, and effective in clinical practice. The 40% continuation rate seen with aripiprazole is comparable to that seen with risperidone, quetiapine, and perphenazine in the CATIE study at 6 months.

Five-year patient outcomes with risperidone long-acting injection or oral aripiprazole

“…Twoyear outcome data have previously been reported for these cohorts [Deslandes et al 2009a[Deslandes et al , 2009b. This study reported an additional 3 years of follow up for patients continuing either treatment at 2 years.…”

“…This was a retrospective, naturalistic follow-up study of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffetive disorder, prescribed RLAI or aripiprazole tablets in clinical practice in the 2 years following their respective UK introductions. Two-year outcome data have previously been reported for these cohorts [Deslandes et al 2009a, 2009b]. This study reported an additional 3 years of follow up for patients continuing either treatment at 2 years.…”

“…Lieberman et al 2005] have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of a number of different antipsychotics in settings more relevant to clinical practice. Both RLAI and aripiprazole have been the focus of several such studies, with periods of follow up ranging from 6 months [Deslandes et al 2008;Taylor et al 2007] to 3 years [Taylor et al 2009]. Given the chronic and relapsing nature of schizophrenia and the burden of the disease, studies with longer periods of follow up remain important to assess treatment outcome [Turner, 2004].…”