Patients' preference for olanzapine orodispersible tablet compared with conventional oral tablet in a multinational, randomized, crossover study

Objectives. The aim of this study was to compare patients’ preference for olanzapine orodispersible tablet (ODT) with oral conventional tablet (OCT). Methods. A 12-week randomized, crossover, multinational, open-label study was conducted to estimate the proportion of patients preferring ODT or OCT. Outpatients with stable schizophrenia on OCT monotherapy were randomly assigned 1:1 to ODT or OCT. Compliance and drug attitude were measured using the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) and Medication Adherence Form (MAF) scales; tolerability and safety by Association for Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry (AMDP-5) questionnaire and adverse event summary. Results. A total of 175 patients answered a preference question: 106 (61%) preferred ODT and 48 (27%) preferred OCT (P<0.001 adjusted for treatment sequence); 21 (12%) expressed no preference. There was no significant change in DAI-10 with either formulation. MAF was above 75% in 94% vs. 93% of patients on ODC and OCT, respectively. Compliance as measured by tablet count was above 98% on both formulations. The adverse event profiles did not differ between formulations. Mean weight increase over 6 weeks on ODT was 0.8 kg and on OCT was 0.6 kg. Conclusions. Given the importance of patients’ preference for treatment planning and success, the ODT formulation should be routinely considered as a treatment option.