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 .
Olanzapine versus haloperidol in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective and schizophreniform disorders: results of an international collaborative trial.
OBJECTIVE This international , multicenter double-blind trial was design ed to compare the therapeutic profile of an atypical antipsychotic , olanzapine , with that of a conventional dopamine D2 antagonist , haloperidol . METHOD A total of 1,996 patients at 174 sites in Europe and North America were r and omly assigned to treatment with olanzapine ( N = 1,336 ) or haloperidol ( N = 660 ) over 6 weeks . The primary efficacy analysis involved the mean change from baseline to endpoint in total scores on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ( BPRS ) . Secondary analyses included comparisons of the mean change in positive and negative symptoms , comorbid depression , extrapyramidal symptoms , and overall drug safety . RESULTS Olanzapine demonstrated clinical results superior to those of haloperidol on overall improvement according to the BPRS and on every secondary measure , including depression .  Olanzapine was also associated with significantly fewer discontinuations of treatment due to lack of drug efficacy or adverse events . Substantially more olanzapine-treated patients ( 66.5 % ) than haloperidol-treated patients ( 46.8 % ) completed 6 weeks of therapy . Statistically significant advantages of olanzapine treatment were related to 1 ) change in negative symptoms , 2 ) extrapyramidal symptom profile , 3 ) effect on prolactin levels , and 4 ) response rate . CONCLUSIONS Olanzapine shows a superior and broader spectrum of efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenic psychopathology , with a substantially more favorable safety profile , than haloperidol . It meets several of the criteria for a novel atypical antipsychotic agent
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 .