European Long-acting Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia Trial-II
European Long-acting Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia Trial-II
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric illness with a heterogeneous disease course, varying from periods of symptomatic remission to relapse. Relative to the wealth of scientific data on the course of schizophrenia during the two years following the first psychotic episode, the outcome of schizophrenia patients over the first decade of their illness has been studied to a lesser degree. In this follow-up cohort study the aim is to investigate the long-term outcome of schizophrenia patients who participated in the previously conducted EULAST-I clinical trial, in the first decade after being diagnosed.
At this point, given the heterogeneity of published studies, it remains unclear if depot medication can reduce relapse rates and improve clinical outcome when offered to all patients in need of continuation treatment with antipsychotics. Before anyone can conclude whether or not all schizophrenia patients could benefit from a switch to depot formulations, several questions remain to be answered. Is depot medication associated with better continuation rates and outcome? How are depot medications tolerated as compared to oral medication? In order to clarify these important issues this study aims to perform a large multi-center trial in which schizophrenia patients in need of continuous treatment who are randomized 1:1:1:1 to two different depot preparations or to two different oral medications; patients will be followed up for a total of 19 months.
The primary objective of this trial is to compare all cause discontinuation rates in patients with schizophrenia randomized to oral antipsychotic medications (i.e., aripiprazole or paliperidone) versus depot antipsychotic medications (i.e., paliperidone palmitate or aripiprazole depot) over an 18 month follow-up period.
Inclusion Criteria:
Capable of providing written informed consent / have a legal representative to provide written informed consent. *
Having been randomized to one of the four treatment arms (aripiprazole oral, aripiprazole depot, paliperidone oral, paliperidone depot) in the 2014-002765-30 EULAST-I clinical trial or having participated in the EULAST-I naturalistic cohort study.
Exclusion Criteria: No exclusion criteria are applicable in this study.