Newer psychosis drug cuts risk of movement problem

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Schizophrenic patients treated with aripiprazole (Abilify) have a lower risk of developing tardive dyskinesia, an unpleasant neurological drug side effect, than those given the older anti-psychotic drug haloperidol, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Tardive dyskinesia is a serious neurologic condition that can occur after prolonged use of antipsychotic drugs. Typical features of the disorder include involuntary, spastic movements of the tongue, jaw, trunk, or limbs.

Previous studies have suggested that so-called second-generation antipsychotics (like aripiprazole) have a lower propensity than the older first-generation agents (like haloperidol) to cause movement disorders, the authors explain.

Dr. Del D. Miller from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and colleagues assessed the occurrence tardive dyskinesia during the long-term use of aripiprazole or haloperidol in nearly 1,200 patients with schizophrenia.

Significantly fewer patients treated with aripiprazole (5.09 percent) than those treated with haloperidol (11.76 percent) developed dyskinesia during trial, the researchers found.

On an annual basis, the researchers estimate that 9.09 percent of patients treated with haloperidol will develop tardive dyskinesia compared with just 0.45 percent of patients given aripiprazole. Moreover, the findings indicate that more than twice as many haloperidol-treated patients required drugs to control their movement problems.

"These findings support the potential for a significantly lower risk of tardive dyskinesia with aripiprazole than with haloperidol among patients requiring maintenance antipsychotic treatment," the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, December 2007.