In:
Pharmacopsychiatry, Georg Thieme Verlag KG, Vol. 56, No. 05 ( 2023-09), p. 169-181
Abstract:
Background Quick symptomatic remission after the onset of psychotic
symptoms is critical in schizophrenia treatment, determining the subsequent disease course and recovery. In this context, only every second patient with
acute schizophrenia achieves symptomatic remission within three months of initiating antipsychotic treatment. The potential indication extension of
clozapine—the most effective antipsychotic—to be introduced at an earlier stage (before treatment-resistance) is supported by several lines of
evidence, but respective clinical trials are lacking. Methods Two hundred-twenty patients with acute non-treatment-resistant
schizophrenia will be randomized in this double-blind, 8-week parallel-group multicentric trial to either clozapine or olanzapine. The primary endpoint is
the number of patients in symptomatic remission at the end of week 8 according to international consensus criteria (‘Andreasen criteria’).
Secondary endpoints and other assessments comprise a comprehensive safety assessment (i. e., myocarditis screening), changes in psychopathology,
global functioning, cognition, affective symptoms and quality of life, and patients’ and relatives’ views on treatment. Discussion This multicentre trial aims to examine whether clozapine is
more effective than a highly effective second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), olanzapine, in acute schizophrenia patients who do not meet the criteria for
treatment-naïve or treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Increasing the likelihood to achieve symptomatic remission in acute schizophrenia can improve
the overall outcome, reduce disease-associated burden and potentially prevent mid- and long-term disease chronicity.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0176-3679
,
1439-0795
Language:
English
Publisher:
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2041961-2
SSG:
15,3