Treatment satisfaction with paliperidone extended-release tablets: open-label study in schizophrenia patients dissatisfied with previous antipsychotic medication

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in treatment satisfaction after switching to paliperidone extended-release (ER) in Chinese schizophrenia patients dissatisfied with their previous antipsychotic treatment. METHODS In this 8-week, open-label, single-arm, multicenter, prospective study, 1,693 patients dissatisfied with previous antipsychotic medication were enrolled and switched to paliperidone ER tablets (3-12 mg/d) based on clinical judgment. The primary efficacy end point was change in Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) score from baseline to week 8. The secondary end points included percentage of patients with MSQ score ≥4, as well as changes in Clinical Global Improvement-Severity (CGI-S) and Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scores. RESULTS MSQ scores increased significantly from baseline (mean [standard deviation {SD}]: 2.48 [0.55]) to week 8 (5.47 [0.89], P<0.0001; primary end point, full analysis set). The percentage of patients with MSQ score ≥4 was 95.9% at week 8, indicating that most of the patients were satisfied with their treatment. Significant (P<0.0001) improvements from baseline to week 8 were noted in CGI-S score (2.37 [1.20]) and PSP score (25.5 [15.0]). A total of 174 (10.28%) patients experienced adverse events (AEs). The most common (>10 patients) events were extrapyramidal disorder (n=84, 4.96%), poor quality sleep (n=18, 1.06%) and akathisia (n=13, 0.77%). The majority of AEs were mild to moderate in severity. No deaths occurred. CONCLUSION Treatment satisfaction improved after switching to paliperidone ER from the previous antipsychotic in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.