Factors associated with first- versus second-generation long-acting antipsychotics prescribed under ordinary clinical practice in Italy

Ostuzzi, Giovanni;Mazzi, Maria Angela;Terlizzi, Samira;Bertolini, Federico;Aguglia, Andrea;Bartoli, Francesco;Bortolaso, Paola;Callegari, Camilla;Caroleo, Mariarita;Carrà, Giuseppe;Corbo, Mariangela;D'Agostino, Armando;Gastaldon, Chiara;Lucii, Claudio;Magliocco, Fabio;Martinotti, Giovanni;Nosé, Michela;Ostinelli, Edoardo Giuseppe;Papola, Davide;Piccinelli, Marco Piero;Piccoli, Alberto;Purgato, Marianna;Tabacchi, Tommaso;Turrini, Giulia;Ruggeri, Mirella;Barbui, Corrado;Barbui, Corrado;Nosé, Michela;Purgato, Marianna;Turrini, Giulia;Ostuzzi, Giovanni;Mazzi, Maria Angela;Papola, Davide;Gastaldon, Chiara;Terlizzi, Samira;Bertolini, Federico;Piccoli, Alberto;Ruggeri, Mirella;De Fazio, Pasquale;Magliocco, Fabio;Caroleo, Mariarita;Raffaele, Gaetano;D'Agostino, Armando;Ostinelli, Edoardo Giuseppe;Chirico, Margherita;Cavallotti, Simone;Lucii, Claudio;Bolognesi, Simone;Debolini, Sara;Pierantozzi, Elisa;Fargnoli, Francesco;Del Zanna, Maria;Giannini, Alessandra;Luccarelli, Livia;De Capua, Alberto;Annese, Pasqua Maria;Cerretini, Massimiliano;Tozzi, Fior-Ella;Magnani, Nadia;Cardamone, Giuseppe;Bardicchia, Francesco;Facchi, Edvige;Soscia, Federica;Zotos, Spyridon;Biancosino, Bruno;Zonta, Filippo;Pompei, Francesco;Callegari, Camilla;Zizolfi, Daniele;Poloni, Nicola;Ielmini, Marta;Caselli, Ivano;Giana, Edoardo;Buzzi, Aldo;Diurni, Marcello;Milano, Anna;Sani, Emanuele;Calzolari, Roberta;Bortolaso, Paola;Piccinelli, Marco;Cazzamalli, Sara;Alberini, Gabrio;Piantanida, Silvia;Costantini, Chiara;Paronelli, Chiara;Di Caro, Angela;Moretti, Valentina;Gozzi, Mauro;D'Ippolito, Chiara;Barbanti, Silva Veronica;Alessandro, Papalini;Corbo, Mariangela;Martinotti, Giovanni;Campese, Ornella;Fiori, Federica;Lorusso, Marco;Di Capro, Lucia;Viceconte, Daniela;Mancini, Valerio;Suraniti, Francesco;Signorelli, Maria Salvina;Rossi, Eugenio;Lupoli, Pasqualino;Menchetti, Marco;Terzi, Laura;Boso, Marianna;Risaro, Paolo;De Paoli, Giuseppe;Catania, Cristina;Tarricone, Ilaria;Caretto, Valentina;Storbini, Viviana;Emiliani, Roberta;Balzarro, Beatrice;Bartoli, Francesco;Tabacchi, Tommaso;Nava, Roberto;Bono, Adele;Provenzi, Milena;Brambilla, Giulia;Aspesi, Flora;Tremolada, Martina;Castagna, Gloria;Bava, Mattia;Verrengia, Enrica;Lucchi, Sara;Oriani, Maria Ginevra;Barchiesi, Michela;Pacetti, Monica;Aguglia, Andrea;Magni, Laura Rosa;Rossi, Giuseppe;Beneduce, Rossella;Tura, Giovanni Battista;Laffranchini, Laura;Mastromo, Daniele;Ferrato, Farida;Restaino, Francesco;Monzani, Emiliano;Porcellana, Matteo;Limosani, Ivan;Ghio, Lucio;Ferro, Maurizio;Parise, Vincenzo Fricchione;Balletta, Giovanni;Addeo, Lelio;De Vivo, Elisa;Benedetto, Rossella Di;Pinna, Federica

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Carpiniello, Bernardo

Member of the Collaboration Group

;Spano, Mariangela;Giacomin, Marzio;Pecile, Damiano;Mattei, Chiara;Fabrici, Elisabetta Pascolo;Panarello, Sofia;Peresson, Giulia;Vitucci, Claudio;Bonavigo, Tommaso;Pacetti, Monica;Perini, Giovanni;Boschello, Filippo;Strizzolo, Stefania;Gardellin, Francesco;Di Giannantonio, Massimo;Moretti, Daniele;Fizzotti, Carlo;Cossetta, Edoardo;Gregorio, Luana Di;Sozzi, Francesca;Boncompagni, Giancarlo;Barbera, Daniele La;Colli, Giuseppe;Laurenzi, Sabrina;Calandra, Carmela;Luca, Maria

2018-01-01

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Abstract

Background For many years, long-acting intramuscular (LAI) antipsychotics have been prescribed predominantly to chronic and severe patients, as a last resort when other treatments failed. Recently, a broader and earlier use of LAIs, particularly second-generation LAIs, has been emphasized. To date, few studies attempted to frame how this change in prescribing took place in real-world practice. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the clinical features of patients prescribed with LAIs, and to explore possible prescribing differences between first- and second-generations LAIs under ordinary clinical practice in Italy. Methods The STAR Network “Depot” Study is an observational, longitudinal, multicenter study involving 35 centers in Italy. In the cross-sectional phase, patients prescribed with LAIs were consecutively recruited and assessed over a period of 12 months. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed. Results Of the 451 recruited patients, 61% were males. The level of social and working functioning was heterogeneous, as was the severity of disease. Seventy-two per cent of the patients had a diagnosis of the schizophrenia spectrum. Seventy per cent were prescribed with second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) LAIs (mostly paliperidone, aripiprazole and risperidone). Compared to first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) LAIs, patients prescribed with SGA LAIs were more often younger; employed; with a diagnosis of the schizophrenia spectrum or bipolar disorder; with higher levels of affective symptoms; with fewer LAI prescriptions in the past. Discussion LAIs' prescribing practices appear to be more flexible as compared to the past, although this change is mostly restricted to SGA LAIs.