Initiation of aripiprazole once-monthly using a two-injection start in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: real-world views and experiences of Italian healthcare professionals.

AIM: In Italy, aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400) can be initiated using a two-injection start (TIS) in adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who are stabilised with oral aripiprazole. With this approach, treatment initiation is completed in a single day, without the need for 14 days of concurrent oral aripiprazole supplementation. This study examined how healthcare professionals (HCPs) view and use the AOM 400-TIS in real-world clinical practice in Italy, a country where uptake of the AOM 400-TIS has been relatively high.

METHODS: Responses were analysed for Italian physicians and nurses who participated in a pan-European, non-interventional, cross-sectional online survey that explored perspectives and attitudes towards prescribing and/or administering AOM 400-TIS in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Responses were collected across two waves and were analysed descriptively.

RESULTS: Responses were available for 108 Italian HCPs, representing 47.2% of all survey participants. Common reasons for using the AOM 400-TIS were poor treatment adherence (81.5%), patient preference (50.0%), and disease relapse (42.6%), while common barriers to its use were patient reluctance to receive two injections (36.1%), concerns about tolerability (24.1%), and concerns about safety (23.1%). Most HCPs agreed or strongly agreed that the AOM 400-TIS resulted in satisfactory patient outcomes (85.2%), was easy to administer (82.4%), and had a safety/tolerability profile similar to the traditional one-injection start (69.4%).

DISCUSSION: The results confirm the favourable clinical opinions, perspectives, and experiences of Italian HCPs who prescribe and/or administer the AOM 400-TIS in clinical practice.