Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Prescribing of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics for Schizophrenia: Results from a United States Prescriber Survey

• Published in: Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment Vol. 18; pp. 2003 - 2019
• Main Authors: Zhdanava, Maryia, Starr, H Lynn, Totev, Todor I, Lefebvre, Patrick, Shah, Aditi, Sheng, Kristy, Pilon, Dominic
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Auckland Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.01.2022; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: adherence; Antipsychotics; Caregivers; Clinical medicine; Coronaviruses; covid-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Disease transmission; Immunization; Mental disorders; Mortality; Original Research; Pandemics; Patients; physician survey; Polls & surveys; prescribing habits; Psychiatry; Psychotropic drugs; Schizophrenia; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Surveys; Vaccines; United States > US
• ISSN: 1178-2021; 1176-6328; 1178-2021
• DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S379985

Purpose: To describe changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the prescribing of long-acting antipsychotics (LAI) for schizophrenia, patient outcomes, and patient and healthcare provider (HCP) attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccination in the United States (US). Methods: An anonymous online survey was administered to US-based LAI prescribers with a psychiatry specialty in May 2021. Information on prescriber and clinical practice characteristics, LAI prescribing, patient outcomes, and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination was collected and described. Results: Of the 401 LAI prescribers meeting survey criteria, 64.6% reported that LAI prescribing remained unchanged (increase: 19.2%, decrease: 14.0%). The majority did not switch patients from LAIs to oral antipsychotics (OAP; 63.3%) or to LAI formulations with lower frequency of administration (68.1%); most prescribers switched the same number of patients from OAPs to LAIs during the pandemic as in previous practice (65.1%). Half of LAI prescribers (50.1%) reported antipsychotic adherence as unchanged among most patients; 44.6% reported symptom control/relapse frequency as unchanged. Most prescribers believed their patients with schizophrenia should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination (74.1%) and encouraged all patients to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine (84.0%). However, 64.1% of prescribers reported hesitancy among some patients about vaccines’ safety; 51.4% reported that some patients were willing to be vaccinated despite the hesitancy, 48.6% indicated that some patients perceived COVID-19 vaccines as safe, effective, and important. Conclusion: LAI prescribing and prescriber-reported antipsychotic adherence in patients with schizophrenia remained largely unchanged approximately one year after the start of COVID-19. Focused efforts to overcome patients’ COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy are warranted.