Health resource utilization associated with switching to risperidone long-acting injection.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Pharmacoeconomics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Oral antipsychotics and conventional depot formulations are known to reduce healthcare costs by decreasing hospitalizations.
• The economic impact of newer long-acting injectable antipsychotics, such as risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI), on healthcare resource utilization requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) on hospital bed stay within a real-world clinical setting.
• To assess changes in healthcare resource use following the initiation of RLAI.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study identified patients prescribed RLAI and tracked their resource use for 3 years prior to and 1 year after treatment initiation.
• The primary outcome measure was the change in hospital bed stay before and after RLAI prescription.
• Data were collected from 250 subjects, with 81 (32.4%) completing 1 year of treatment.

Main Results:

• Hospital bed stay significantly increased after initiating RLAI, rising from 31 days (year -3) to 141 days (year +1) per patient.
• Direct healthcare costs mirrored the increase in bed stay.
• No significant difference in outcomes was observed between patients who continued RLAI and those who discontinued it.

Conclusions:

• The transition to risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) was associated with a continued increase in hospital bed stay and healthcare resource utilization.
• RLAI did not appear to reduce hospitalization or associated costs in this clinical practice setting.
• Further research is needed to understand the factors influencing resource use with long-acting injectable antipsychotics.