Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Resource Utilization of Patients With Schizophrenia Prescribed Aripiprazole Lauroxil Versus Oral Aripiprazole: A Retrospective Claims-Based Study
INTRODUCTION: Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications ensure that patients have consistent medication exposure across dosing intervals that can last 1 month or more, potentially improving outcomes. This real-world study compared treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among patients with schizophrenia newly initiating the LAI aripiprazole lauroxil (AL) versus oral aripiprazole (OA).
METHODS: This retrospective analysis used US administrative claims data from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2022 from the MarketScan database. Adults with schizophrenia, ≥2 claims for AL or OA, and continuous plan enrollment ≥12 months before (baseline) and after (follow-up) their first (index) AL or OA claim were eligible. Medication adherence (proportion of days covered), persistence, and HCRU (proportion with ≥1 visit per-patient-per-month [PPPM]) were compared between propensity score-matched cohorts.
RESULTS: Patients initiating AL (n=732) had a mean age of 37.3 years; 44.1% were female (OA: n=5867, 39.7 years, 50.1% female). In propensity score-matched cohorts, higher adherence and longer persistence were observed for AL versus OA (both P < 0.0001). AL was associated with significantly reduced odds of any all-cause inpatient or emergency department visit (odds ratios [ORs] [95% CI]: 0.75 [0.61, 0.93] and 0.78 [0.63, 0.97], respectively) and any mental health-related inpatient visit (OR [95% CI]: 0.75 [0.60, 0.93]) versus OA. All-cause and mental health-related inpatient visits and emergency department utilization PPPM also were significantly reduced with AL versus OA.
CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world study, patients with schizophrenia who initiated AL versus OA were more persistent and more adherent and had significant reductions in acute HCRU.
