Treatment patterns in Medicaid patients with schizophrenia initiated on a first- or second-generation long-acting injectable versus oral antipsychotic

Dominic Pilon,1 Kruti Joshi,2 Neeta Tandon,2 Marie-Hélène Lafeuille,1 Rhiannon L Kamstra,1 Bruno Emond,1 Patrick Lefebvre2 1Groupe d’analyse, Ltée, Montréal, QC, Canada; 2Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Titusville, NJ, USA Background: Poor antipsychotic (AP) adherence is a key issue in patients with schizophrenia. First-generation antipsychotic (FGA) and second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) long-acting injectable therapies (LAI) may improve adherence compared to oral antipsychotics (OAP). The objective of the study was to compare treatment adherence and persistence in Medicaid patients with schizophrenia initiated on first-generation long-acting injectable therapies (FGA-LAI) or second-generation long-acting injectable therapies (SGA-LAI) versus OAP.Methods: Adults with schizophrenia initiated on FGA-LAI, SGA-LAI, or OAP on or after January 2010 were identified using a six-state Medicaid database (January 2009– March 2015). Outcomes were assessed during the 12 months following treatment initiation. Index medication adherence was assessed using the proportion of days covered ≥80%, while persistence was assessed as no gap of ≥30, ≥60, or ≥90 days between days of supply. Outcomes were compared between FGA/SGA-LAI and OAP cohorts using chi-squared tests and adjusted odds ratios (OR).Results: During follow-up, AP polypharmacy was more common in FGA-LAI patients (N=1,089; 36%; P=0.029) and less common in SGA-LAI patients (N=2,209; 27%; P