Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Resource Utilization Following Initiation of Aripiprazole Lauroxil Using a 1-Day...

The long-acting injectable antipsychotic aripiprazole lauroxil (AL) can be initiated in a single day using a one-time injection of a NanoCrystal Dispersion formulation of AL (AL_NCD) and a 30-mg oral dose of aripiprazole. Treatment with AL initiated using AL_NCD significantly improved symptoms of schizophrenia in a phase 3b study. The current study evaluated real-world treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among patients with schizophrenia who initiated AL using AL_NCD.

This retrospective analysis used data from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022, derived from Komodo's Healthcare Map™, an administrative claims database. Adults with schizophrenia who initiated AL using AL_NCD and had continuous enrollment ≥ 6 months before (baseline) and after (follow-up) initiation were eligible. Treatment patterns were evaluated for 6 months after initiation. Inpatient admissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and outpatient visits were compared before and after AL initiation using AL_NCD.

Patients who initiated AL using AL_NCD in this study (n = 1152) had a mean age of 38.4 years; 35.9% were female. For most patients, their first AL dose was 1064 mg (39.4%) or 882 mg (37.1%); 90.3% received their first AL injection along with AL_NCD on the same day. A total of 898 (78.0%) patients subsequently received a second AL dose at any time during follow-up. Proportions of patients with all-cause, mental health (MH)-related, and schizophrenia-related inpatient admissions and ED visits significantly decreased between baseline and follow-up (all P < 0.001). Proportions of patients with all-cause, MH-related, and schizophrenia-related outpatient visits did not change, whereas the mean number of outpatient visits for each HCRU category increased significantly from baseline to follow-up (all P ≤ 0.007).

Findings from this real-world study suggest that use of AL initiated with AL_NCD results in significant declines in acute HCRU.