Impact of once-daily extended-release quetiapine fumarate on hospitalization length in patients with acute bipolar mania.

AIMS: Evaluate the impact of quetiapine extended release (XR) versus quetiapine immediate release (IR) on hospitalization length in acute bipolar mania using Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Hospital Drug Database.

PATIENTS &

METHODS

Generalized linear model analyses were used, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics.

RESULTS

Using data from 3088 discharges, quetiapine XR reduced hospitalization length by 6.7% versus quetiapine IR (p = 0.11; no statistically significant differences between groups), corresponding to 0.6 fewer days in hospital. Excluding the outlier, quetiapine XR significantly reduced hospitalization length by 9.6% versus quetiapine IR (p = 0.02), corresponding to 0.9 days.

CONCLUSION

Inpatient use of quetiapine XR in acute bipolar mania may be associated with reduced hospitalization length (7-10%), possibly owing to the faster titration schedule versus quetiapine IR.