Abstract
The large numbers of partial clozapine responders represent a major therapeutic challenge. Unfortunately, there are no clear data to support how best to treat these patients. This study examines the efficacy and safety of adjunctive risperidone in a well-defined treatment-resistant population optimally treated with clozapine. A total of 69 inpatients and outpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder entered a 16-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Of them, 33 participants were randomized to risperidone and 36 were randomized to placebo. There was no significant group difference in the predefined response criteria. There were modest group differences for Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) positive symptoms, which were significant in the completer analysis (F=5.70; df=1, 70.3; p=0.02; ES=0.27) but not the intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses (F=3.01; df=1, 77.5; p=0.09; ES=0.19). A similar pattern was found for the BPRS total score, with the completer analysis showing a significant improvement in the risperidone group (F=5.21; df=1, 64.9; p=0.03; ES=0.27), whereas the ITT analysis was not significant (F=3.52; df=1, 71.3; p=0.06; ES=0.22). In addition, there was a small, but significant, group difference for negative symptoms, as measured by the SANS total score, which favored the risperidone group (F=5.67; df=1, 78.7; p=0.02; ES=0.24). There were no significant group differences on safety measures, including neuropsychological test and extrapyramidal symptom scores. A significant elevation of prolactin in the risperidone group was observed. The study results suggest that adjunctive risperidone may have a modest benefit for treatment-resistant clozapine patients. The study results are discussed in the context of previous double-blind studies of adjunctive risperidone. (clinicaltrials.gov, trial number: NCT00056498).
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Acknowledgements
The study was supported by the NIMH grant R01 MH45074-11, Clozapine Treatment of Schizophrenic Patients (PI: RWB); NIMH grant P30 MH06850, Advanced Center for Intervention and Services Research Grant (PI: RWB); and the University of Maryland General Clinical Research Center grant M01 RR 16500, General Clinical Research Centers Program, National Center for Research Resources, NIH. Double-blind medications were provided by Ortho McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC.
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Robert R Conley is a full-time employee and stockholder of Eli Lilly, and this study was completed while he was at the MPRC. James M Gold has been in the advisory boards of Astra-Zeneca and Pfizer, has served as a consultant for Glaxo-Smith-Kline, and has received royalty payments for the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. Deanna L Kelly has been in the advisory boards of Solvay, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Janssen. Robert W Buchanan has been a DSMB member for Cephalon, Otsuka, and Pfizer; has served as a consultant for Abbott, Cypress Bioscience, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Merck, Organon, Sanofi-Aventis, Solvay, and Wyeth; and has been in the advisory boards of Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer, and Roche. All the remaining authors have no competing interests or financial support to disclose.
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Weiner, E., Conley, R., Ball, M. et al. Adjunctive Risperidone for Partially Responsive People with Schizophrenia Treated with Clozapine. Neuropsychopharmacol 35, 2274–2283 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2010.101
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2010.101
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