Alberto Ortiz Lobo
Doctor of Medicine and Psychiatrist at the Carlos III Day Hospital - La Paz University Hospital (Madrid)
This study was designed and funded by a pharmaceutical company to capitalise on an existing product, risperidone, whose patent had expired. To this end, it proposes a new weekly oral dosage form and conducts a pharmacokinetic analysis lasting only five weeks.
Long-acting preparations may be useful in long-term treatment for people who wish to reduce the frequency of dosing.
On the other hand, daily flexibility in increasing or reducing the dose is lost, and if any side effects occur, they are maintained for longer due to the delay in eliminating the action of the drug. Of the 83 people enrolled in the study, 20 dropped out after the first dose and only half completed it, which may cast doubt on its acceptance and widespread use in healthcare practice.