Comparative cardiometabolic safety and effectiveness of aripiprazole in people with severe mental illness: A target trial emulation
Authors: Alvin Richards-Belle, Naomi Launders, Sarah Hardoon, Al Richards, Kenneth K.C. Man, Neil M. Davies, Elvira Bramon, Joseph F. Hayes, David P.J. Osborn
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2025)

Background There is limited and conflicting evidence on the comparative cardiometabolic safety and effectiveness of aripiprazole in the management of severe mental illness. We investigated the hypothesis that aripiprazole has a favourable cardiometabolic profile, but similar effectiveness when compared to olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone. Methods and findings We conducted an observational emulation of a head-to-head trial of aripiprazole versus olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone in UK primary care using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. We included adults diagnosed with severe mental illness (i.e., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other non-organic psychoses) who were prescribed a new antipsychotic between 2005 and 2017, with a 2-year follow-up to 2019. The primary outcome was total cholesterol at 1 year (cardiometabolic safety). The main secondary outcome was psychiatric hospitalisation (effectiveness). Other outcomes included body weight, blood pressure, all-cause discontinuation, and mortality. Analyses adjusted for baseline confounders, including sociodemographics, diagnoses, concomitant medications, and cardiometabolic parameters. We included 26,537 patients (aripiprazole, n = 3,573, olanzapine, n = 8,554, quetiapine, n = 8,289, risperidone, n = 6,121). Median (IQR) age was 53 (42−67) years, 55.4% were female, 82.3% White, and 18.0% were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Patients prescribed aripiprazole had similar total cholesterol levels after 1 year to those prescribed olanzapine (adjusted mean difference [aMD], −0.03, 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.02, p = 0.261), quetiapine (aMD, −0.03, 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.03, p = 0.324), and risperidone (aMD, −0.01, 95% CI, −0.08 to 0.05, p = 0.707). However, there was evidence that patients prescribed aripiprazole had better outcomes on other cardiometabolic parameters, such as body weight and blood pressure, especially compared to olanzapine. After additional adjustment for prior hospitalisation, patients prescribed aripiprazole had similar rates of psychiatric hospitalisation as those prescribed olanzapine (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.91, 95% CI, 0.82–1.01, p = 0.078), quetiapine (aHR, 0.94, 95% CI, 0.85–1.04, p = 0.230), or risperidone (aHR, 1.01, 95% CI, 0.91–1.12, p = 0.854). Conclusions Data from our large, powered, diverse, real-world target trial emulation sample, followed over 2 years, suggest that adults diagnosed with severe mental illness prescribed aripiprazole have similar total cholesterol 1 year after first prescription compared to those prescribed olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone. However, patients prescribed aripiprazole had better outcomes on some other cardiometabolic parameters, and there was little evidence of differences in effectiveness. Our findings inform a common clinical dilemma and contribute to the evidence base for real-world clinical decision-making on antipsychotic choice for patients diagnosed with severe mental illness.