AMISULPRIDE, AN ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTIC, IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE EPISODES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA - A DOSE-RANGING STUDY VS. HALOPERIDOL

This 4-week, double-blind, randomized study was undertaken to determin e the dose-response relationship of amisulpride in 319 patients with a cute exacerbation of schizophrenia. Fixed doses of amisulpride (400, 8 00 and 1200 mg/day) and haloperidol (16 mg/day) were compared to amisu lpride, 100 mg/day, as a potentially subtherapeutic dose. Efficacy dat a (BPRS total score and PANSS positive subscale) in the amisulpride gr oups generated a bell-shaped dose-response curve, with 400 mg/day and 800 mg/day being the most effective treatments for positive symptoms. Parkinsonism did not increase significantly between baseline and endpo int with amisulpride 400, 800 and 1200 mg/day compared to the amisulpr ide 100 mg/day group, whereas the difference was significant for halop eridol (P<0.05), It is concluded that amisulpride 400 mg and 800 mg/da y is highly effective in treating the positive symptoms of schizophren ia, with less extrapyramidal side-effects than haloperidol 16 mg/day.