Initiating long-acting injectable antipsychotics during acute admission for patients with schizophrenia – A 3-year follow-up

Background/Purpose The debate on whether long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAIA) medication is superior to oral medication, in preventing rehospitalization of patients with schizophrenia, remains inconclusive. We compared rehospitalization rates over 3 years following discharge from an acute admission, in which patients either began using LAIAs regularly for the first time, or continued to use oral antipsychotics. Methods A retrospective observational study of 92 inpatients with schizophrenia from a university-based medical center during 2004–2008. The primary outcome measure is the rehospitalization rates between groups, as estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results Eighteen of 47 (38.3%) LAIA patients, and 16 of 45 (35.6%) oral medication patients were rehospitalized (average time to rehospitalization, 378 ± 262 vs. 378 ± 340 days; p  = 0.997). The estimated cumulative rates of rehospitalization were similar between groups. The overall odds comparing the LAIA to the oral medication group were 1.085 ± 0.373 (95% confidence interval: 0.553–2.13, p  = 0.813). Compared to the oral medication group, the LAIA group had fewer coded with sufficient previous treatment response (32% vs. 69%, p p p  = 0.04). Conclusion Initiating LAIAs during admission for an acute psychotic episode, to a group of patients with an inadequate previous treatment response and poorer compliance, might keep their rehospitalization rates to the level of their oral antipsychotic medication treated counterparts.