Loxapine succinate: a controlled double-blind study in chronic schizophrenia

Loxapine succinate was compared to chlorpromazine in a 12-week double-blind study of 50 hospitalized chronic schizophrenic patients. Statistical analyses of BPRS scores showed significant improvemement for several items and factors in both groups of patients. Both drugs significantly decreased severity of illness on the CGI scale. On the NOSIE scale, "manifest psychosis" was improved significantly with chlorpromazine and "global severity" with loxapine succinate. There were no significant treatment differences in BPRS, CGI, or Nosie items or factors or in the reduction of overall psychopathology. The side effects associated with the study drugs differed little with respect to incidence, number, severity, and type. The most frequently reported symptoms in both groups were behavioral, extrapyramidal, and sedative. Analyses of vital signs and clinical laboratory data revealed no evidence of serious untoward effects.