In Children With Bipolar Disorder, Antipsychotic Choice May Affect Hospitalization Risk

SAN DIEGO—Children with bipolar disorder who were treated with lurasidone had a lower risk of all-cause and psychiatric-related hospitalization than those treated with aripiprazole or olanzapine, according to a retrospective claims database study.

Researchers presented the finding at the Psych Congress 2019 poster sessions.

Using the MarketScan Commercial database, researchers identified 16,021 patients 17 years old and younger who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated with oral atypical antipsychotics between January 2011 and June 2017. During the first month of treatment, 2% received lurasidone; 3%, olanzapine; 17%, quetiapine; 27%, risperidone; 35%, aripiprazole; 0.5%, no or minimal therapy; and 16%, other therapy.

Also from Psych Congress: Oral Antipsychotic Side Effects ‘Bothersome,’ Say Patients With Bipolar Disorder

Compared with lurasidone, the odds of all-cause hospitalization were 1.60 with aripiprazole and 1.68 with olanzapine, researchers reported. The odds of psychiatric-related hospitalization were 1.61 with aripiprazole and 1.73 with olanzapine.

The odds of all-cause and psychiatric-related hospitalization with quetiapine and risperidone, meanwhile, were similar to those with lurasidone, according to the investigation.

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. sponsored the study.

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference

Ng-Mak D, Kadakia A, Shrestha S, Wang L, Loebel A. Hospitalization risk in pediatric bipolar patients treated with lurasidone vs. other oral atypical antipsychotics: a real-world retrospective claims database study. Poster presented at Psych Congress 2019; October 3-6, 2019; San Diego, CA. Poster 229.