Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

CATIE study results this Thursday

Its been reported that this coming Thursday (September 22nd) will see the publishing of the CATIE trial results - the biggest ever government study comparing the safety and efficacy of four big-selling schizophrenia treatments. It is expected to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, industry sources say.

Some clear answers as to how the drugs differ from each other are expected from the study, called the Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. It will compare four of the top-selling schizophrenia drugs and one older medicine in 1,600 patients who have each been followed for a year-and-a-half.

Eli Lilly's Zyprexa is considered by some to be likely to come out ahead in the study, but Pfizer's Geodon could also get a big benefit say others. And if Lilly does win, some may dismiss its success because of the way the study was designed.

Still, the results are expected to shed light on the sometimes subtle differences in effectiveness and side effects among various treatments for schizophrenia.

In Forbes magazine Steve Marder, professor of psychiatry at UCLA, was quoted as saying "Even small differences can affect a patient’s quality of life" - so difference in results that are shown by the CATIE trial could significantly improve treatment plans and results for people.

The results of the study could have a significant influence on the financial results of Eli Lilly (Zyprexa), where it's the company's top drug, as well as Pfizer (Geodon), Johnson & Johnson (Risperdal), AstraZeneca (Seroquel), and also Bristol Meyers (Abilify) which have been competing in the $14 billion market for antipsychotic drugs.

To examine all the drugs’ safety and efficacy, CATIE’s main goal is to see which drug patients stayed on the longest. The logic is that patients are likely to be switched to a new drug if they have either a bad side effect, such as diabetes or involuntary movements, or a worsening of schizophrenia symptoms.

Already, researchers, have announced, it is clear that none of the drugs truly did that well. Some 75% of patients in all treatment groups had to be switched from one drug to another. The switches were about equally likely to be due to shortfalls of safety or efficacy.