Investigation of Safety Profile of Lurasidone and Olanzapine in Treatment of Schizophrenia

The objective of the study was to determine the safety profile of lurasidone and olanzapine in the treatment of schizophrenia. All consecutive patients of schizophrenia attending the Psychiatry outpatient department of IGMC, Shimla (Approval no. HFW(MC-II)B(12)ETHICS/2020/3930) were screened for enrolment in the study of 1 year duration (March 2019–Feb 2020). The patients enrolled (100 patients) were divided into two treatment groups (50 in each group), Group A (lurasidone) and Group B (olanzapine). During the follow-up period, investigations such as lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, ECG, blood pressure, and body weight were noted to assess the safety profile of the drug. Results showed that the mean systolic blood pressure at baseline in the olanzapine group was 125.12 ± 8.37 and the mean age was 33.50 ± 11.35 at the first follow-up, which was done at 2–4 weeks, while the same for the lurasidone group was 31.71 ± 10.44 at 2–4 weeks. The mean serum HDL level at baseline in the olanzapine group was 43.38 ± 1.28 while 39.46 ± 1.12 at first follow-up; however, it was 49.64 ± 1.29 at baseline and 45.19 ± 1.22 at first follow-up for the lurasidone group; this exhibited a p value of < 0.001 which was highly significant. The mean age for the olanzapine group was 33.24 ± 11.00 at the second follow-up which was done at 8 weeks, while the same for the lurasidone group was 31.91 ± 10.60 at 8 weeks. It can be concluded from the study that lurasidone is more preferable than olanzapine for the treatment of schizophrenia, depending on the patient's financial situation, tolerance level, and accessibility.