New Data On Antipsychotic Drugs

New data presented at the 2007 American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting suggest that antipsychotic drug response be assessed earlier than is presently thought, and challenges the current schizophrenia treatment paradigm for when to evaluate if an antipsychotic medication is working effectively. The findings show that early non-response to antipsychotic medication, as soon as two weeks into treatment, appears to strongly predict subsequent lack of response in patients with schizophrenia. Compared to early responders patients who responded to their antipsychotic medication after two weeks of treatment the early non-responders were less likely to achieve subsequent symptom remission, viewed medication adherence as less beneficial, had a lower level of functioning, and incurred twice as many total healthcare costs. The studies were conducted and funded by Eli Lilly and Company. Current schizophrenia treatment guidelines recommend an initial trial of four to six weeks to determine if a patient will respond to an antipsychotic medication. However, these new data suggest this may be too long. Without early and effective treatment, patients with schizophrenia may experience devastating and costly events, such as hospitalization, incarceration, homelessness, repeated relapses and attempted suicide. Current findings are based on post-hoc analyses and consistent with independent research, suggesting that the drug effect seems to occur during the first two weeks of treatment. However, additional research is still needed. In this segment, Dr. John M. Kane will discuss the data presented at APA and how these findings may affect the treatment of schizophrenia. For more information, visit http://lillymedia.com http://lillymedia.com More About Dr. John M. Kane: Dr. John M. Kane is vice president for Behavioral Health Services of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and chairman of psychiatry at The Zucker Hillside Hospital. He is professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neuroscience and holds the Dr. E. Richard Feinberg Chair in Schizophrenia Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Kane received his B.A. from Cornell University and his M.D. from the New York University School of Medicine. He currently directs the NIMH-funded Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research in Schizophrenia at The Zucker Hillside Hospital. He has been a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for NIMH, and he has served on the council of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He has chaired the NIMH Psychopathology and Psychobiology Review Committee as well as the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Kane is a recipient of the Arthur P. Noyes Award in Schizophrenia, the NAPPH Presidential Award for Research, the American Psychiatric Association Foundations’ Fund Prize for Research, the Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry, the Lieber Prize for Outstanding Research in Schizophrenia, the Heinz E. Lehmann Research Award from New York State, and the Dean Award from the American College of Psychiatrists. https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=33065