Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are associated with substantial impairment and disability. Lack of treatment adherence is a major issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite growing evidence supporting second-generation long-acting antipsychotics (LAIs) as an effective strategy to ensure continued maintenance treatment in schizophrenia, access to these technologies has been very limited in constrained-resource settings. Including second-generation LAIs in national and international essential medicines lists and evidence-based guidelines, promoting public health-oriented patent pooling and extending their availability to primary health care settings, are key actions that should urgently be implemented to increase access to long-acting technologies. Implementing these policy actions can pragmatically improve treatment adherence, ultimately tackling schizophrenia-related impairment and disability in LMICs, which can be regarded as a global health priority.
CITATION STYLE
Ostuzzi, G., Gastaldon, C., Papola, D., & Barbui, C. (2022, May 11). Calling for policy actions to increase access to long-acting antipsychotics in low-income and middle-income countries. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796022000166
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