Eduard Vieta
Director of the Institute of Neurosciences at Hospital Clínic, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Barcelona and researcher at IDIBAPS and CIBERSAM
The work represents an incremental innovation that may have a small impact on the treatment of schizophrenia. Risperidone is a drug that has been used for many years, is effective in this disease and is available in a variety of formulations. As some patients forget to take their medication or are prone to stopping treatment, in addition to the daily tablet, there are injectable forms that are administered every 15 days, every month, every three months and even every six months. In this case, a weekly oral formulation has been shown to be equivalent to daily oral administration, allowing for a lighter medication regimen, which may be useful for patients who forget their daily medication on many days, and an alternative for those who dislike injections. The study design is appropriate for its purpose, and I believe it is another option for treating schizophrenia that offers a very modest improvement.