Aripiprazole: A New Atypical Antipsychotic Drug

OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and safety profile of aripiprazole for the treatment of schizophrenia. DATA SOURCES: Information was selected from MEDLINE (1995-August 2002). Abstracts, scientific posters, and presentations were also used. STUDY SELECTION/DATA EXTRACTION: All published information regarding the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and clinical characteristics of aripiprazole was considered. Studies providing a comprehensive description of aripiprazole were selected. DATA SYNTHESIS: Aripiprazole is a dopamine partial agonist and a serotonin-2A antagonist; it is dosed 10-30 mg/d, with no initial titration necessary. Short-term clinical trials demonstrated efficacy in acute exacerbations, and long-term studies showed that aripiprazole can maintain remission of schizophrenia. Most adverse events were mild. The incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms was low, with akathisia being the most common. CONCLUSIONS: Aripiprazole currently demonstrates comparable efficacy and safety for use in schizophrenia.