Earlier Use of Long-Acting Injectable Paliperidone Palmitate Versus Oral Antipsychotics in Patients With...

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of paliperidone palmitate (PP) long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI) versus oral antipsychotic (OAP) treatment in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (per DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria) and varying duration of illness (0-3 years and > 3 years).

Methods: Patient-level data from the PRIDE, PROSIPAL, and DREaM studies were included in a post hoc analysis. Efficacy and safety outcomes, including relapse assessments, Personal and Social Performance scale scores, Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire total scores, and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), were measured systematically. Treatment failure (TF) included relapses due to psychiatric hospitalizations, arrest or incarceration, suicidal or homicidal ideation or behavior, discontinuation due to inadequate efficacy and/or safety or tolerability, treatment supplementation due to inadequate efficacy, and significant worsening of symptoms.

Results: Fewer TFs were observed with PP versus OAP in both the 0-3 years group (17.7% and 25.3%, respectively) and the > 3 years group (32.3% and 42.4%, respectively). Time to first TF was significantly longer with PP versus OAP treatment in both duration of illness groups. TEAE rates were similar between the PP and OAP groups, with no new safety signals identified.

Conclusions: This post hoc analysis suggests that PP provides significant benefit in reducing TF or relapse compared with OAPs regardless of duration of illness and highlights the potential benefit of implementing PP earlier in the course of schizophrenia.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers NCT01157351 (PRIDE), NCT01081769 (PROSIPAL), and NCT02431702 (DREaM).