ABSTRACT
Introduction: Two vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitors are approved in the United States (US) for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD). There is a paucity of information on the impact of VMAT2 inhibitor treatment on patient social and physical well-being. The study objective was to elucidate clinician-reported improvement in symptoms and any noticeable changes in social or physical well-being in patients receiving VMAT2 inhibitors. Methods: A web-based survey was offered to physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants based in the US who prescribed valbenazine for TD within the past 24 months. Clinicians reported data from the charts of patients who met the inclusion criteria and were allowed to recall missing information. Results: Respondents included 163 clinicians who reviewed charts of 601 VMAT2-treated patients with TD: 47% had TD symptoms in ≥2 body regions, with the most common being in the head or face and upper extremities. Prior to treatment, 93% of patients showed impairment in ≥1 social domain, and 88% were impaired in ≥1 physical domain. Following treatment, among those with improvement in TD symptoms (n = 540), 80% to 95% showed improvement in social domains, 90% to 95% showed improvement in physical domains, and 73% showed improvement in their primary psychiatric condition. Discussion: In VMAT2-treated patients with TD symptom improvement, clinicians reported concomitant improvement in psychiatric disorder symptoms and in social and physical well-being. Regular assessment of TD impact on these types of domains should occur simultaneously with movement disorder ratings when evaluating the value of VMAT2 inhibitor therapy.
ABSTRACT
Compliance is a critical issue across all chronic conditions, including schizophrenia. Compliance is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon, with a continuum from taking all medications as prescribed to partial compliance to complete noncompliance. Partial compliance is a serious problem that may result in abrupt dose changes leading to unanticipated adverse effects and can demoralize the patient. Further, there is a nearly 5-fold increase in the risk of relapse in first-episode patients when antipsychotic drug treatment is discontinued. Taken together, these data indicate that it is critical to ensure continuous delivery of antipsychotic treatment. Atypical antipsychotic medications were expected to result in better adherence, primarily because of the anticipated improved efficacy and safety profile. However, atypical agents have poor adherence, irrespective of the type of atypical medication, making it difficult to predict which patients are taking their oral medications. Long-acting injectable (LAI) agents may minimize the fluctuations in peak and overall plasma levels compared with oral agents, indicating they may allow more consistent and predictable administration. Based on clinical experience in my practice, several important observations regarding LAI use in patients with schizophrenia have been identified. First, there are potential advantages to using LAIs, including assistance in understanding reasons for poor response, the possibility of eliminating daily pill ingestion, and the elimination of the abrupt loss of medication coverage. There are also several potential obstacles to the use of LAIs, including a lack of infrastructure for the delivery and disposal of syringes and the ease of use with the oral agents. Several strategies can be used to increase patient willingness to initiate and continue LAI therapy. Strategies to improve acceptance involve presenting the option with enthusiasm, ensuring proper goal setting, educating the patient that this treatment is not equivalent to emergency injections, and repeatedly recommending LAI therapy. Adherence can be improved by ensuring samples are available in the clinical setting at all times.
