Efficacy of aripiprazole against hostility in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder: data from 5 double-blind studies.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to determine the effects of aripiprazole on hostility.

METHOD: A total of 1476 patients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were the subjects in 5 short-term, double-blind studies comparing aripiprazole with placebo; 3 of these studies also included a comparison with haloperidol. The studies were conducted between December 1993 and January 2001. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was the principal outcome measure in these studies. To determine the effect of aripiprazole on hostility, post hoc analyses of the hostility item from the PANSS were conducted for the first 4 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS

Aripiprazole was superior to placebo and not significantly different from haloperidol in reducing hostility.

CONCLUSION

Aripiprazole is an effective treatment for hostility in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.