Effectiveness, tolerability and subjective well-being in patients receiving quetiapine: findings of a post-marketing surveillance study in schizophrenia

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Objectives. Previous studies of antipsychotics have mainly focused on efficacy and tolerability. However, patient subjective well-being is increasingly being accepted as a valid and important measure of antipsychotic treatment outcomes and tolerability. Methods. In this open-label, observational trial data from 1322 outpatients with schizophrenia treated with flexibly dosed quetiapine were collected at baseline, Week 4 and Week 12. Patient well-being was assessed using Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptics (SWN-K) scale and disease severity with the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) scale following quetiapine treatment. In addition, safety and tolerability were monitored throughout the study. Results. Quetiapine treatment, mean endpoint dose 337 mg/day, led to a significant reduction in disease severity, with improvements in CGI-S score of -0.7 at Week 4 and -1.3 at Week 12 (both P<0.001). In addition, patients' subjective well-being was significantly improved at Week 12, with a mean (SD) increase from baseline in SWN-K total score of 22.9 (18.7) (P<0.001). Further, an improved tolerability profile compared with previous medication was reported. Conclusions. This study emphasises the importance of patients' subjective well-being and the favourable acceptability of quetiapine among patients with schizophrenia.