NIMH Schizophrenia Drug Study Requires 'New Thinking' in Research, Not Restrictions Based on Cost
Posted on: Friday, 1 December 2006, 09:01 CST
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Ken Duckworth, issued a statement on publication in the American Journal of Psychiatry today of the latest installment of a landmark study of schizophrenia drugs:
Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the study confirms what we already know. First generation drugs cost less than second- generation advancements in anti-psychotic medications, Duckworth said.
The study's significance lies in its limitations.
Previous installments have shown that the second generation generally is no more effective than the first generation. However, "one size does not fit all" in choosing the right medication for individual patients.
In an explicit warning to Medicaid state programs and the managed care industry, the new study emphasizes:
"Treatment decisions must be based on the clinical situation of each individual patient. This study clearly would not justify policies that would unconditionally restrict access to any particular medication or that would thoughtlessly force patients or doctors who are satisfied with a current treatment to change to a treatment just because it might be less expensive."
The Journal published the study despite "serious reservations" about its methodology. They include:
* Exclusion of "first episodes" marking the onset of schizophrenia -- the very point in which the initial choice of medication may be most important. * The 18-month period of study was not long enough to reveal development of tardive dyskenesia or other serious side effects that may differ from drug to drug. * Methodology is still "too crude" to demonstrate differences between specific medications that are important for individuals. The time has come for a third generation of schizophrenia drugs.
The second generation has primarily changed side effects, rather than overall effectiveness.
Selecting a first generation drug still runs a risk of permanent, untreatable, debilitating and stigmatizing movement disorders.
The most important contribution of the study lies in stimulating a new way of thinking about medications for schizophrenia and providing a base for the next generation.
Additional sources: NIMH http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ Journal: http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/
NAMI
CONTACT: Alexis O'Brien of NAMI, +1-703-312-7893, alexiso@nami.org
Web site: http://www.nami.org/http://www.nimh.nih.gov/http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/
Source: PRNewswire
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