Long-Acting Injectable Drugs in the Maintenance Therapy of Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

This article discusses case reports of treatment with paliperidone palmitate in comparison with data from recent publications. Second-generation long-acting injectable antipsychotics have been shown to provide better control of psychiatric manifestations, reduce the severity of negative symptoms, improve social functioning and quality of life of patients and relatives, and reduce the burden of disease for both the healthcare system and the caregivers. The case reports presented in this article demonstrate better quality of remission in schizophrenia patients treated with one-monthly and three-monthly paliperidone palmitate formulations, due to higher efficacy in preventing relapses, better safety and good tolerability regardless of patient age.