Findings related to effectiveness ( treatment discontinuation , quality of life , and neurocognitive improvements ) were generally consistent with those observed in non-Chinese population s. No new safety signals specific for Chinese population s were raised for olanzapine .
Chinese and non-Chinese population s with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder treated with olanzapine display broadly similar responses .
BACKGROUND Despite the burden of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the Chinese population , country-specific data to guide practitioners regarding antipsychotic therapy are lacking .
A randomized double-blind study of risperidone and olanzapine in the treatment of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
OBJECTIVE The safety and efficacy of risperidone and olanzapine were compared in a double-blind trial that used doses widely accepted in clinical practice . METHOD Subjects ( N=377 ) who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were r and omly assigned to receive 2 - 6 mg/day of risperidone ( mean modal dose=4.8 mg/day ) or 5 - 20 mg/day of olanzapine ( mean modal dose=12.4 mg/day ) for 8 weeks . RESULTS The two study groups were similar at baseline except that the  olanzapine group was slightly younger than the  risperidone group . Seventy-five percent of the participants completed the trial , with no between-treatment differences in the proportion of dropouts . Similar proportions of the risperidone and olanzapine groups reported extrapyramidal symptoms ( 24 % and 20 % , respectively ) . Severity of extrapyramidal symptoms was low in both groups , with no between-group differences . Total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores and scores on the five Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factors were improved in both groups at week 8 ( subjects who completed the study ) and endpoint ( all subjects , including dropouts ) . There were overall between-treatment differences in efficacy . Comparison of individual factors found no significant differences at endpoint ; at week 8 , however , improvements on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factors for positive symptoms and anxiety/depression were greater with risperidone than olanzapine . An increase in body weight of > or = 7 % was seen in 27 % of olanzapine participants and 12 % of risperidone participants . CONCLUSIONS Both treatments were well tolerated and efficacious . The frequency and severity of extrapyramidal symptoms were similar in the two treatment groups . Greater reductions in severity of positive and affective symptoms were seen with risperidone than with olanzapine treatment among study completers . There was no measure on which olanzapine was superior . Greater weight gain was associated with olanzapine than with risperidone treatment
Findings related to effectiveness ( treatment discontinuation , quality of life , and neurocognitive improvements ) were generally consistent with those observed in non-Chinese population s. No new safety signals specific for Chinese population s were raised for olanzapine .
Chinese and non-Chinese population s with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder treated with olanzapine display broadly similar responses .
BACKGROUND Despite the burden of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in the Chinese population , country-specific data to guide practitioners regarding antipsychotic therapy are lacking .