Weight changes before and after lurasidone treatment: a real-world analysis using electronic health records

BACKGROUND: Severe and persistent mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are associated with increased risk of obesity compared to the general population. While the association of lurasidone and lower risk of weight gain has been established in short and longer-term clinical trial settings, information about lurasidone’s association with weight gain in usual clinical care is limited. This analysis of usual clinical care evaluated weight changes associated with lurasidone treatment in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. METHODS: A retrospective, longitudinal analysis was conducted using de-identified electronic health records from the Humedica database for patients who initiated lurasidone monotherapy between February 2011 and November 2013. Weight data were analyzed using longitudinal mixed-effects models to estimate the impact of lurasidone on patient weight trajectories over time. Patients’ weight data (kg) were tracked for 12-months prior to and up to 12-months following lurasidone initiation. Stratified analyses were conducted based on prior use of second-generation antipsychotics with medium/high risk (clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, or risperidone) versus low risk (aripiprazole, ziprasidone, first-generation antipsychotics, or no prior antipsychotics) for weight gain. RESULTS: Among the 439 included patients, the mean age was 42.2 years, and 69.7% were female. The average duration of lurasidone treatment across all patients was 55.2 days and follow-up duration after the index date was 225.1 days. The estimated impact of lurasidone on weight was − 0.77 kg at the end of the 1-year follow-up. Patients who had received a prior second-generation antipsychotic with medium/high risk for weight gain were estimated to lose an average of 1.68 kg at the end of the 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Lurasidone was associated with a reduction in weight at 1 year following its initiation in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Stratified analyses indicated that weight reduction was more pronounced among patients who had received second-generation antipsychotics associated with a higher risk of weight gain prior to lurasidone treatment. These findings are consistent with the results of prior short- and long-term prospective studies and suggest that lurasidone is associated with low risk for weight gain in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12991-017-0159-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.