Hj. Moller et al., IMPROVEMENT OF ACUTE EXACERBATIONS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH AMISULPRIDE - A COMPARISON WITH HALOPERIDOL, Psychopharmacology, 132(4), 1997, pp. 396-401
Amisulpride is a substituted benzamide with high selectivity for dopam
inergic D-2 and D-3 receptors. This study compared 800 mg/day amisulpr
ide and 20 mg/day haloperidol in patients with acute exacerbations of
schizophrenia. This multicenter, doubleblind trial involved 191 patien
ts allocated, after a 1 to 7-day wash-out period, to amisulpride (n =
95) or haloperidol (n = 96) for 6 weeks. Improvement of mean BPRS tota
l score was 48% for amisulpride and 38% for haloperidol (NS), whereas
improvement in the Negative PANSS subscale was greater in the amisulpr
ide group (37%) compared to haloperidol (24%) (P = 0.038). CGI scores
showed a higher number of responders in the amisulpride (62%) than in
the haloperidol group (44%) (P = 0.014). More extrapyramidal symptoms
measured with the Simpson-Angus scale were provoked in the haloperidol
group (P = 0.0009). Amisulpride is at least as effective as haloperid
ol in the treatment of acute exacerbations of schizophrenia, and is mo
re effective in the treatment of negative symptoms whilst causing less
parkinsonism.