So what if they are more expensive
The first comprehensive comparison between five drugs currently given to treat schizophrenia shows that new and expensive drugs are no better than an old generic drug, which costs much less than them. The only new drug that was found to be more effective than the old drug is Zypraxa (active ingredient olanzapine) from the Eli Lilly company. However, people who took this drug gained significant weight and increased their chances of developing diabetes.
The study, which cost 44 million dollars, was defined by the director of the National Institute of Mental Health in the USA, Dr. Thomas Insel, as "the largest, longest and most comprehensive study ever done on antipsychotic drugs." The findings, published in the prestigious medical journal "New England Journal of Medicine", indicate "significant limitations" in the effectiveness of the new drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia, state the researchers, led by Jeffrey Lieberman from Columbia University.
The study examined the length of time that patients used each of the drugs until they decided to stop taking it due to the side effects - a common measure for evaluating its effectiveness. In total, 74% of the 1,432 volunteers, in 57 clinics, stopped using their prescribed medication during the study period. The rate of stopping the use of Zypraxa (olanzapine) was the lowest - 64% of the patients stopped taking it after a period of up to a year and a half. The rate of cessation of use was higher for the other four drugs: Seroquel (Quatiapine) from "Astra-Zeneca"; Risperdal (risperidone) of "Jensen"; Pfizer's Gaudon (ziprasidone) and the generic drug Paraphenazine (Parapanan), which has been in use since the XNUMXs.
Another finding was that the hospitalization rate among Zypraxa users due to deterioration in the patient's condition was 11%, compared to 15%-20% of patients who used the other drugs.
The study authors said they were surprised that paraphenazine side effects, such as tremors, are not as common as thought. The effectiveness of the drug, based on the length of time the patients took it, was no less compared to the new drugs, whose price is several times higher. A monthly supply of paraphenazine costs about $50, compared to $390 for Gaudon, $425 for Risperdal, $475 for Seroquel, and $660 for Zyprexa.
