Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Methods for Studying the Mechanisms of Action of Antipsychotic Drugs in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: February 4, 2014
Clozapine prescription trends in Brazil in the last decade
Raffael Massuda1, Clarissa S Gama2, Paulo Belmonte-de-Abreu3
1Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Objective:
Clozapine is a second-generation antipsychotic indicated for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Studies in several countries have shown a low rate of clozapine use despite the fact that approximately 30% of schizophrenia cases are treatment-resistant. In Brazil, few studies have addressed the frequency and variety of antipsychotic use in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (ICD F20). The objective of this study was to measure the rates of clozapine use in this population in the last decade using Brazilian Ministry of Health data.
Methods:
Prescriptions made between 2010 and 2020 in all 26 states and the Federal District registered at the Outpatient Information System Database from the Brazilian Health System (SIASUS) were evaluated.
Results:
A total of 25,143,524 prescriptions were recorded in this period, with clozapine representing 8.86% of all antipsychotics. The most frequently prescribed antipsychotic for patients with schizophrenia was olanzapine (35.8%), followed by quetiapine (27.5%). From 2010 to 2020, the rate of clozapine prescriptions in Brazil increased from 7.2% to 10.9%.
Conclusions:
Despite a slight increase in prescriptions in the last decade, clozapine is still underutilized in Brazil.
More Related Videos
07:31Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack
Published on: May 15, 2020
05:14Standardized Data Acquisition for Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Substantia Nigra
Published on: September 8, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Antipsychotic Drugs: Typical and Atypical Agents
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
Antipsychotic Drugs: Therapeutic Uses and Side Effects
Despite these side effects, antipsychotics are used therapeutically for various purposes, including managing schizophrenia, preventing nausea and vomiting, curbing...
Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Dependence of Elimination Half-Life and Dose Clearance
A study on guinea pigs examined the...