European Long-acting Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia Trial

Summary

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric illness with periods of remission and relapse. Patients vary in the frequency and severity of relapse, time until relapse and time in remission. Discontinuation of antipsychotic medication is by far the most important reason for relapse. A possible method to optimize medication adherence is to treat patients with long-term, depot medication rather than oral medication. However, despite its apparent "common sense" this approach has neither been universally accepted by practicing psychiatrists nor unequivocally demonstrated in clinical trials. Therefore, in this study we aim to investigate possible advantages of depot medication over oral antipsychotics in an independently designed and conducted, randomized, pragmatic trial.

Timeline

Start

2015-02

Primary completion

2020-08-26

Completion

2020-08-26

Publications

• Mortazavi M, Aminifarsani Z, Rossum IW, Kahn RS, Fleischhacker WW, Davidson M, Weiser M, Siskind D, Leucht S; EULAST Study Group; Hasan A, Wagner E. Impact of Long-Acting Injectable Versus Oral Antipsychotic Treatment on All-Cause Discontinuation Risk in People with Early Phase Schizophrenia and Comorbid Substance Use Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of the EULAST Randomized Trial. CNS Drugs. 2026 Jan;40(1):99-109. doi: 10.1007/s40263-025-01225-0. Epub 2025 Sep 11.
• Winter-van Rossum I, Weiser M, Galderisi S, Leucht S, Bitter I, Glenthoj B, Hasan A, Luykx J, Kupchik M, Psota G, Rocca P, Stefanis N, Teitelbaum A, Bar Haim M, Leucht C, Kemmler G, Schurr T; EULAST Study Group; Davidson M, Kahn RS, Fleischhacker WW. Efficacy of oral versus long-acting antipsychotic treatment in patients with early-phase schizophrenia in Europe and Israel: a large-scale, open-label, randomised trial (EULAST). Lancet Psychiatry. 2023 Mar;10(3):197-208. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00005-6. Epub 2023 Jan 27.

Drugs

Indications