creators_name: Vella, SC creators_name: Pai, NB creators_id: vella@uow.edu.au editors_name: Kakkilaya, Srinivas editors_id: Kakkilaya BS type: journale datestamp: 2013-05-04 23:04:38 lastmod: 2013-05-04 23:04:38 metadata_visibility: show title: Prevalence & Prescription: Prescribing Practices of Clozapine in Australia between 2005 & 2010 ispublished: pub subjects: JOURNALS subjects: OJHAS full_text_status: public keywords: Clozapine; Treatment-resistant schizophrenia; Prevalence rates; Australia abstract: Clozapine is an anti-psychotic used to treat refractory schizophrenia. This study reviews the rates of clozapine prescription for refractory schizophrenia in a region of Australia and compares the prescribing patterns to the estimated prevalence rates of refractory schizophrenia in the region. Utilising a pharmacoepidemiological approach; the results indicated that only 8.4% of the individuals estimated to be suffering from refractory schizophrenia in the region were prescribed clozapine between 2005 and 2010, with only 4.1% continuing clozapine to the conclusion of the study. In conclusion it is evident that clozapine is widely under-prescribed in this area of Australia. date: 2012-04-15 date_type: published publication: Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences volume: 11 number: 1(6) publisher: BS Kakkilaya refereed: TRUE referencetext: 1. Capuano B, Crosby IT, Lloyd EJ. Schizophrenia: Genesis, receptorology, and current therapeutics. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 2002;9:521-548. 2. Conley RR, Buchanan RW. Evaluation of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 1997;23(4):663-674. 3. Semiz UB, cetin M, Basoglu C, Ebrinc S, Uzun O, Herken H, Balibey H, Algul A, Ates A. Clinical predictors of therapeutic response to clozapine in a sample of Turkish patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. 2007;31:1330-1336. 4. Angermyer MC, Loffler W, Muller P, Schulze B, Priebe S. Patients’ and relatives’ assessment of clozapine treatment. Psychological Medicine. 2001;31:509-517. 5. Wheeler A, Humberstone V, Robinson G. Outcomes for schizophrenia patients with clozapine treatment: how good does it get? Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2009;23(8):957-965. 6. Kelly DL, Kreyenbuhl J, Buchanan RW, Malhotra AK. Why not clozapine? Clinical Schizophrenia. 2007;1:92-95. 7. Henneen J, Baldessarini RJ. Suicidal risk during treatment with clozapine: a meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Research 2005;73:139-145. 8. Young CR, Bowers MB, Mazure CM. Management of the adverse effects of clozapine. Schizophrenia Bulletin 1998;24(3): 381-390. 9. Reznik I, Volchek L, Mester R, Kotler M, Sarova-Pinhas I, Spivak B, Weizman A. Myotoxicity and neurotoxicity during clozapine treatment. Clinical Neuropharmacology 2000;23(5):276-280. 10. Nielsen J, Dahm M, Lublin H, Taylor D. Psychiatrists attitude towards and knowledge of schizophrenia treatment. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2010;24(7):965-971. 11. Wheeler A, Humberstone V, Robinson G. Trends in anti-psychotic prescribing in schizophrenia in Auckland. Australasian Journal of Psychiatry 2006;14(2):169-174. 12. Marder SR. Can clinical practice guide a research agenda? Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2002;28(1):127-129. 13. Conley RR, Kelly DL, Lambert TJ, Love RC. Comparison of clozapine use in Maryland and in Victoria Australia. Psychiatric Services. 2005;56(3):320-323. 14. Fayek M, Flowers C, Signorelli D, Simpson G. Psychopharmacology: underuse of evidence-based treatments in psychiatry. Psychiatric Services. 2003;54(11):1453-1456. 15. Mond J, Morice R, Owen C, Korten A. Use of antipsychotic medications in Australia between July 1995 and December 2001. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2002;37:55-61. 16. Weinbrenner S, Assion HJ, Stargardt T, Busse R, Juckel G, Gericke CA. Drug prescription patterns in schizophrenia outpatients: analysis of data from a German health insurance fund. Pharmacopsychiatry 2008;41:1-6. 17. Drew LRH, Griffiths KM, Hodgson DM. A five year follow-up study of the use of clozapine in community practice. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2002;36:780-786. citation: Vella, SC and Pai, NB (2012) Prevalence & Prescription: Prescribing Practices of Clozapine in Australia between 2005 & 2010. [Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)] document_url: http://cogprints.org/8871/1/2012-1-6.pdf