A CLINICAL-STUDY OF CLOZAPINE TREATMENT AND PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE INA CANADIAN SAMPLE

Objective: To study the clinical response to clozapine in patients wit h refractory schizophrenia. Method: Open trial of clozapine in 61 cons ecutively-treated patients. Results: Following clozapine, the level of function of patients was improved relative to admission (p = 0.0001) and to the highest level in the previous year (p = 0.0001). Severity o f illness was decreased (p = 0.0001). Overall, 31% of the patients wer e classified as responders to clozapine and the responders were all id entified by 32 weeks of treatment. Poor functioning in the previous ye ar was associated with less favourable response. At a mean interval of 26 months following discharge, 72% of the patients were continuing cl ozapine treatment. Conclusions: This open trial of patients who were t reated consecutively indicates a comparable degree of response to cloz apine as observed in controlled clinical trials, and that level of fun ctioning in the previous year was the best predictor of response.