Inpharma 1615 - 24 Nov 2007

Ziprasidone vs aripiprazole: similarefficacy in schizophrenia

Ziprasidone and aripiprazole exhibit similar efficacyand tolerability in the treatment of acutely ill patientswith schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, althoughziprasidone appears to have a shorter time to onset ofaction, according to the findings of a multicentre studyby researchers from the US.

This double-blind study involved 256 such patientswho were randomised to receive either ziprasidone80–160 mg/day (n = 127) or aripiprazole 10–30 mg/day(129) for ≤ 4 weeks. Patients were assessed using theClinical Global Impression of Severity Scale (CGI-S) andthe Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRSd) total (derivedfrom the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; PANSS)at screening, baseline and on days 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 28of treatment.

Significant noninferiority of ziprasidone, relative toaripiprazole, was evident for CGI-S score at all timepoints with a least squares mean change at week 4 of–1.12 vs –1.15, respectively. A mixed model repeatedmeasures analysis revealed a significantly greater meanimprovement in BPRSd and PANSS total scores at day 4with ziprasidone compared with aripiprazole. Thisdifference was not evident at the other time points andindicates that ziprasidone may have a more rapid onsetof drug action than aripiprazole. Both agents weregenerally well tolerated and exhibited a similartolerability profile.Zimbroff D, et al. Comparison of ziprasidone and aripiprazole in acutely illpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: a randomized, double-blind, 4-week study. International Clinical Psychopharmacology 22: 363-370, No.6, Nov 2007 801086019

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Inpharma 24 Nov 2007 No. 16151173-8324/10/1615-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved