Evaluation of neuroleptic malignant syndrome induced by antipsychotic drugs using spontaneous reporting system

Adverse events (AEs) of antipsychotic drugs include neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), which presents complex clinical symptoms, resulting in a fatal outcome. In this study, the association between antipsychotic drugs and NMS was comprehensively evaluated by cluster and association analyses using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database. The analyses were performed using 20 typical antipsychotics (TAPs) alongside 9 atypical antipsychotics (AAPs). The Standardised MedDRA Queries (SMQ) database was used to analyze NMS (SMQ code: 20000044). Reporting odds ratios (RORs) were used for AE signal detection. The relationship between antipsychotic drugs and AEs for NMS was investigated by performing hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's method. Between April 2004 and September 2021, the total number of JADER reports was 705,294. RORs (95 % confidence interval) of NMS for haloperidol, chlorpromazine, risperidone, and aripiprazole were 12.1 (11.1–13.3), 6.3 (5.7–7.0), 6.2 (5.8–6.6), and 4.7 (4.4–5.1), respectively. Three clusters were formed, with characteristics as follows: Cluster 1 consisted of only TAPs, such as bromperidol and fluphenazine, whilst having a high reporting rate of hypotension, tachycardia, dyskinesia, and dystonia. Cluster 2 consisted of all AAPs alongside several TAPs, such as haloperidol and chlorpromazine, with higher reporting rates of disturbance of consciousness, extrapyramidal disorders (excluding dyskinesia and dystonia), and serotonin syndrome. Cluster 3 consisted of only perphenazine, whilst having a higher reporting rate of coma, leukocytosis, and Parkinsonism. The results of this study may therefore aid in the management of NMS using antipsychotic drugs.