Antipsychotic Drugs Increase Heart Risks

Research has found that patients taking the latest generation of antipsychotic drugs are twice as likely to suffer sudden cardiac failure and death as nonusers. The study that found such medicines are no safer than the older ones they have largely replaced.

Though the health risks of antipsychotic drugs for elderly patients have been previously documented, the study, published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, was one of the largest to date, and it found dangers for younger adults, too.

The study's findings add to a growing body of research questioning the safety, cost, and effectiveness of these so-called atypical antipsychotic drugs. In 2007, U.S. sales of all antipsychotic drugs topped $13.23 billion, up 12% from $11.81 billion in 2006, according to IMS Health Inc., a health-care information and consulting company. Atypical drugs were the main reason behind that growth; such medications had U.S. sales of about $13 billion through the first 11 months of 2008.

The atypical drugs used in the study were Zyprexa, made by Eli Lilly & Co.; Seroquel, made by AstraZeneca PLC; Risperdal, made by Johnson & Johnson; and Clozaril, made by Novartis AG. The typical drugs used for comparison purposes were haloperidol and thioridazine, both generics.

For the new study, researchers reviewed the medical records of about 277,000 Tennessee Medicaid enrollees for the years 1990 to 2005. Of them, about 46,000 were taking atypical antipsychotic drugs and 44,000 were taking typical antipsychotic drugs. About 187,000 weren't taking any of the drugs. Patients ranged in age from 30 to 74 years; the average age was about 46.

The growing use of antipsychotic drugs has sparked widespread debate in the medical world. In November, 2007, a panel of outside advisers urged the Food and Drug Administration to discourage doctors from prescribing the drugs for children. Meanwhile, Connecticut, Arkansas and other states have sued a number of drug makers, alleging that they marketed such drugs for uses not authorized by the FDA and didn't adequately disclose potential side effects, such as weight gain and diabetes.

One of the FDA's primary functions is to approve drugs for specific uses. Doctors can prescribe them for other treatments, however, but drug makers can't promote them for unapproved uses.

Traditional, or typical, antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine, known by the brand name Thorazine, have been used to treat conditions such as schizophrenia since the 1950s. The side effects include involuntary tremors and tics, which can be irreversible. Research have also linked them to sudden cardiac death, an abrupt and unexpected loss of heart function.

The atypical drugs were first introduced in 1989, and were said to cause fewer involuntary-movement problems and be much safer. But in recent years, research has brought that view into question.

References

http://www.randifredricks.com/randi/art/heart_risk.cfm