Adjunctive Raloxifene vs Antipsychotics Alone for Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder

The following article is part of conference coverage from the 2018 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting in New York, New York. Psychiatry Advisor’s staff will be reporting breaking news associated with research conducted by leading experts in psychiatry. Check back for the latest news from APA 2018.

NEW YORK — Women with schizophrenia had a significant response to treatment with adjunctive raloxifene vs antipsychotic medications, according to research presented at the 2018 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

Researchers examined the efficacy of adjunctive raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, on symptom severity in schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The meta-analysis assessed Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores from randomized controlled trials published between January 1990 and October 2016. In total, the meta-analysis included 133 participants across 3 studies.

Study investigators found that vs antipsychotic medications alone, adjunctive raloxifene showed improvement in positive, negative, and total PANSS scores (standard mean differences: 1.222 [95% CI, 0.869-1.574], 0.992 [95% CI, 0.651-0.1334], and 1.194 [95% CI, 0.844-1.545], respectively; P =.000 for all).

“Total and all PANSS sub-scores showed a significant response to treatment with adjunctive raloxifene when compared to antipsychotics alone in women with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder,” the researchers concluded. “These findings are promising as negative symptoms pose a significant treatment challenge.”

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Reference

Steere R, Hodzic V, Naaum AH. Effects of adjunctive raloxifene on symptom severity in women with schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. Presented at: 2018 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting; New York, NY; May 5-9. Abstract 30.