German warning on neuroleptics

The German Drug Commission says that favorable results from studies on atypical neuroleptic drugs in patients with schizophrenic psychoses are based essentially on non-comparable dosages of both typical neuroleptics and new, atypical neuroleptics. The Commission says that, as a result, it is not justified for doctors to use atypical neuroleptic drugs exclusively as the treatment of first resort.

A notice to this effect has been sent to doctors. The Commission, meanwhile, notes that the medical profession continues to prescribe these atypical neuroleptic drugs and both prescriptions and costs show a steadily rising trend. Daily doses of quetiapine, for example, went up over 55% between 2004 and 2005. The Commission says that this drug is one of the newer and more expensive atypical neuroleptic drug products but, like the rest of the group, shows no more effectiveness in the treatment of schizophrenic psychoses than cheaper typical neuroleptics such as haloperidol. Daily costs of atypical neuroleptics are estimated at up to 11 times higher than Haloperidol.