Switching away from pipotiazine palmitate: a naturalistic study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

• Pipotiazine palmitate depot antipsychotic was withdrawn globally in March 2015 due to active ingredient shortage.
• This necessitated switching all patients to alternative antipsychotic medications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the process of switching patients from pipotiazine palmitate.
• To assess the impact of this switch on patient hospitalization rates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of demographic and clinical data from electronic records.
• Descriptive statistical analysis of 17 patients switched from pipotiazine palmitate.

Main Results:

• 14 patients switched to another depot antipsychotic maintained stability.
• Three patients switched to oral alternatives discontinued treatment, leading to relapse and hospitalization.
• A five-fold increase in mean hospitalization was observed post-switch.

Conclusions:

• Switching from depot antipsychotics to oral formulations was linked to clinical deterioration, especially in patients with a history of nonadherence.
• Maintaining patients on depot antipsychotic treatments is crucial for stability, particularly for those with adherence issues.