Background: Antipsychotics are considered the cornerstone for the treatment of schizophrenia and are increasingly used in the treatment of mood disorders. A lack of drug adherence is a frequently occurring problem. Depot antipsychotics have been co-developed in order to deal with this problem.
Aim: To map the depot antipsychotics prescription behaviour of psychiatrists and general practitioners in outpatient practice in Belgium.
Method: Analysis of sales data of antipsychotics between 1997 and 2016. Data were supplied by Pharmanet, a database within the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI).
Results: In the period 1997-2004, outpatient sales of depot antipsychotics decreased by 20%. The portion of depot antipsychotics in total antipsychotics sales dropped from 14.9% (1997) to 8.5% (2004). After second-generation depot antipsychotics were introduced from 2004, the sales figures of depot antipsychotics increased by 83%. In 2016, 9.8% of antipsychotic prescriptions was a depot antipsychotic prescription. As of 2012, more second-generation depot antipsychotics (52.2%) were sold than first-generation depot antipsychotics (47.8%). Psychiatrists were quicker to adopt second-generation depot antipsychotics than general practitioners, a trend similar to oral antipsychotics.
Conclusion: Outpatient sales of depot antipsychotics in Belgium were on the rise after second-generation long-acting preparations were introduced to the market. Recent Scandinavian studies suggest that an increase in prescription of depot antipsychotics may contribute to better clinical outcomes.