Injectables for schizophrenia reduce hospitalisations better than oral medications, study shows
For a long time, studies on the benefits and risks of long-acting injectables (LAIs) versus oral medications for schizophrenia have been inconsistent. But a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysisTrusted Source published in The Lancet Psychiatry in 2021 provides a fresh perspective.
After analyzing the results of randomized controlled trials and other studies, researchers found that injectable medications may have some clear advantages over oral medications used to treat schizophrenia in preventing hospitalization.
Here’s a closer look at what the research showed and what it may mean for the future of schizophrenia treatment.
For the report, a group of researchers analyzed the results from 137 other studies, all of which lasted at least 6 months and included a total of more than 397,000 adults with schizophrenia and related disorders.
Large sample sizes like the one used in this study help researchers make conclusions that are generalizable to a larger population.
The group’s analysis consistently showed that LAIs offered significant benefits over oral antipsychotic medications in preventing hospitalization or relapse among people with schizophrenia.
Furthermore, the study found that there were no significant differences in adverse events in either type of schizophrenia treatment.
It appears to be the first analysis of its kind to include evidence gathered from:
- randomized controlled trials
- cohort studies
- pre-post studies
“This was a great review study, comprised of 137 prior studies,” Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California, told Healthline.
“The results consistently favored the benefit of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in reducing the rate of hospitalization or relapse,” added Dimitriu, who is double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine.
Dr. David A. Merrill, adult and geriatric psychiatrist, and director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain Health Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, said the findings aligned with what he’s seen firsthand when treating people with schizophrenia.
“The advantages of LAIs are clear and more pronounced in this analysis,” said Merrill.
The results of the report echo the findings of previous research on LAIs for schizophrenia.
A 2020 reviewTrusted Source published in the Annals of General Psychiatry, which looked at data on more than 75,000 people with schizophrenia who had been hospitalised, found that LAIs reduced the readmission rate by 29 percent compared with oral medications.
That benefit was even greater among people with schizophrenia who had been hospitalised repeatedly in the past.