Improvement in Quality of Life in Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With an Atypical Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic

Objective: To assess change in satisfaction with quality of life (QOL) in patients with schizophrenia treated with an atypical long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication, either paliperidone palmitate (PP) or risperidone long-acting injectable (RLAI).

Methods: This preliminary analysis used data from REACH OUT, a naturalistic, observational study of adult patients receiving atypical antipsychotic treatment in community behavioral health organizations. Satisfaction with QOL was measured by Lehman's QOL Interview, Brief Version for various domains using a 7-point Likert scale (1-Terrible to 7-Delighted). The mean change (SD) in satisfaction with QOL from enrollment to 1-year follow-up was assessed using paired t-test.

Results: Patients with schizophrenia treated with either PP (n=482) or RLAI (n=117), who also completed a 1-year follow-up were analyzed. Overall, patients had a mean age of 41 years, and most were male (>70.0%) and of white (~50.0%) and/or black (>30.0%) race. The mean time from schizophrenia diagnosis to study enrollment was approximately 15 years. From enrollment to 1-year follow-up, patients treated with PP reported increased satisfaction with health (0.2, p<0.001), finances (0.4, p<0.001), family contact (0.2, p=0.025), and general life (0.2, p<0.001). A higher mean increase in satisfaction with finance (0.5, P<0.01) and general life (0.3, P=0.055) was observed in PP new users, respectively. The mean change in QOL domains was not statistically significant in RLAI cohort.

Conclusions: Results demonstrate a potential long-term benefit from PP treatment associated with the overall improvement in various QOL domains. Further analyses to account for the differences in patient characteristics and treatment initiation time are ongoing.