Impact of the CATIE trial on antipsychotic prescribing patterns at a state psychiatric facility.

INTRODUCTION

Results from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) indicate that, with the exception of olanzapine, no substantial overall differences were identified between second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and the first generation antipsychotic (FGA) perphenazine.

METHODS

This study evaluated the effect of CATIE on antipsychotic prescribing. A retrospective review of 1807 adults with schizophrenia was conducted and relative quarterly percentages of FGA versus SGA prescriptions were calculated.

RESULTS

Time series analysis did not identify significant differences in rates of FGA prescriptions.

CONCLUSIONS

Critiques of the methods used in CATIE may have mitigated its potential impact on antipsychotic prescribing despite cost-effectiveness of perphenazine treatment.