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Investigators reported the findings support the use of LAI antipsychotics over oral medication following a hospital stay for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
“I suspect the lower readmission rate that has been observed with long-acting injections has more to do with people forgetting to take a pill each and every day than with any inherent superiority of the injectable medication,” lead author Daniel Greer, PharmD, BCPP, clinical assistant professor at Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a news release.
“Other studies on the use of antipsychotic medication have found that roughly three fourths of patients do not take oral medications exactly as directed, and it’s much easier to get a shot every few months than it is to take a pill every day, even though the shot requires a trip to the doctor,” Dr. Greer added.
The study was published online on January 17, 2024, in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Fewer Repeat Stays
Investigators compared 30-day readmission rates for all 343 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were discharged from an inpatient psychiatric unit between August 2019 and June 2022.
A total of 240 patients (70%) were discharged on an oral antipsychotic, most commonly risperidone or olanzapine, and 103 (30%) were sent home on an LAI antipsychotic, most commonly aripiprazole lauroxil or haloperidol decanoate.
Within 30 days of discharge, 22 patients (6.4%) were readmitted for a schizophrenic or schizoaffective exacerbation — two in the LAI antipsychotic group and 20 in the oral antipsychotic group (1.9% vs 8.3%; P = .03).
The LAI antipsychotic group had a higher average daily chlorpromazine equivalent antipsychotic dose than the oral group (477.3 mg vs 278.6 mg; P < .001), which investigators said may indicate a difference in illness severity between the patient groups.
There was no significant between-group difference in the use of anticholinergic medications to treat extrapyramidal symptoms (22% in the LAI group and 31% in the oral group) despite the LAI group receiving greater doses.
That suggests “that both formulations may be equally as likely to cause these adverse effects,” the researchers noted.
Thirty-day readmission rates are important both medically and financially, investigators noted. In schizophrenia, access to medications and nonadherence are “significant problems.” LAI antipsychotic medications may alleviate some of these burdens but come with a high up-front cost.
“Medication access through pharmaceutical company free trial replacement programs may be an option for facilities with restricted formularies or limited medication funding to decrease 30-day readmissions,” investigators wrote.
“The cost of the injections is far lower than the cost of hospital treatments,” Dr. Greer added in the news release. “And each additional visit to the hospital increases the odds that there will be more visits in the future. Every time someone experiences psychosis, they lose gray matter, and they suffer damage that never heals. That’s why it’s so vital to minimize psychotic episodes.”
Chief limitations of the study included its single-center, retrospective chart review design and small sample size. Also, complete patient medication history was not obtained.
The study had no specific funding. The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Investigators reported the findings support the use of LAI antipsychotics over oral medication following a hospital stay for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
“I suspect the lower readmission rate that has been observed with long-acting injections has more to do with people forgetting to take a pill each and every day than with any inherent superiority of the injectable medication,” lead author Daniel Greer, PharmD, BCPP, clinical assistant professor at Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a news release.
“Other studies on the use of antipsychotic medication have found that roughly three fourths of patients do not take oral medications exactly as directed, and it’s much easier to get a shot every few months than it is to take a pill every day, even though the shot requires a trip to the doctor,” Dr. Greer added.
The study was published online on January 17, 2024, in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Fewer Repeat Stays
Investigators compared 30-day readmission rates for all 343 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were discharged from an inpatient psychiatric unit between August 2019 and June 2022.
A total of 240 patients (70%) were discharged on an oral antipsychotic, most commonly risperidone or olanzapine, and 103 (30%) were sent home on an LAI antipsychotic, most commonly aripiprazole lauroxil or haloperidol decanoate.
Within 30 days of discharge, 22 patients (6.4%) were readmitted for a schizophrenic or schizoaffective exacerbation — two in the LAI antipsychotic group and 20 in the oral antipsychotic group (1.9% vs 8.3%; P = .03).
The LAI antipsychotic group had a higher average daily chlorpromazine equivalent antipsychotic dose than the oral group (477.3 mg vs 278.6 mg; P < .001), which investigators said may indicate a difference in illness severity between the patient groups.
There was no significant between-group difference in the use of anticholinergic medications to treat extrapyramidal symptoms (22% in the LAI group and 31% in the oral group) despite the LAI group receiving greater doses.
That suggests “that both formulations may be equally as likely to cause these adverse effects,” the researchers noted.
Thirty-day readmission rates are important both medically and financially, investigators noted. In schizophrenia, access to medications and nonadherence are “significant problems.” LAI antipsychotic medications may alleviate some of these burdens but come with a high up-front cost.
“Medication access through pharmaceutical company free trial replacement programs may be an option for facilities with restricted formularies or limited medication funding to decrease 30-day readmissions,” investigators wrote.
“The cost of the injections is far lower than the cost of hospital treatments,” Dr. Greer added in the news release. “And each additional visit to the hospital increases the odds that there will be more visits in the future. Every time someone experiences psychosis, they lose gray matter, and they suffer damage that never heals. That’s why it’s so vital to minimize psychotic episodes.”
Chief limitations of the study included its single-center, retrospective chart review design and small sample size. Also, complete patient medication history was not obtained.
The study had no specific funding. The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
Investigators reported the findings support the use of LAI antipsychotics over oral medication following a hospital stay for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
“I suspect the lower readmission rate that has been observed with long-acting injections has more to do with people forgetting to take a pill each and every day than with any inherent superiority of the injectable medication,” lead author Daniel Greer, PharmD, BCPP, clinical assistant professor at Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a news release.
“Other studies on the use of antipsychotic medication have found that roughly three fourths of patients do not take oral medications exactly as directed, and it’s much easier to get a shot every few months than it is to take a pill every day, even though the shot requires a trip to the doctor,” Dr. Greer added.
The study was published online on January 17, 2024, in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Fewer Repeat Stays
Investigators compared 30-day readmission rates for all 343 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were discharged from an inpatient psychiatric unit between August 2019 and June 2022.
A total of 240 patients (70%) were discharged on an oral antipsychotic, most commonly risperidone or olanzapine, and 103 (30%) were sent home on an LAI antipsychotic, most commonly aripiprazole lauroxil or haloperidol decanoate.
Within 30 days of discharge, 22 patients (6.4%) were readmitted for a schizophrenic or schizoaffective exacerbation — two in the LAI antipsychotic group and 20 in the oral antipsychotic group (1.9% vs 8.3%; P = .03).
The LAI antipsychotic group had a higher average daily chlorpromazine equivalent antipsychotic dose than the oral group (477.3 mg vs 278.6 mg; P < .001), which investigators said may indicate a difference in illness severity between the patient groups.
There was no significant between-group difference in the use of anticholinergic medications to treat extrapyramidal symptoms (22% in the LAI group and 31% in the oral group) despite the LAI group receiving greater doses.
That suggests “that both formulations may be equally as likely to cause these adverse effects,” the researchers noted.
Thirty-day readmission rates are important both medically and financially, investigators noted. In schizophrenia, access to medications and nonadherence are “significant problems.” LAI antipsychotic medications may alleviate some of these burdens but come with a high up-front cost.
“Medication access through pharmaceutical company free trial replacement programs may be an option for facilities with restricted formularies or limited medication funding to decrease 30-day readmissions,” investigators wrote.
“The cost of the injections is far lower than the cost of hospital treatments,” Dr. Greer added in the news release. “And each additional visit to the hospital increases the odds that there will be more visits in the future. Every time someone experiences psychosis, they lose gray matter, and they suffer damage that never heals. That’s why it’s so vital to minimize psychotic episodes.”
Chief limitations of the study included its single-center, retrospective chart review design and small sample size. Also, complete patient medication history was not obtained.
The study had no specific funding. The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.