Ziprasidone in black patients with schizophrenia: Analysis of four short-term, double-blind studies

Objective: To better understand the efficacy and tolerability of atypical antipsychotics among racial groups, we reviewed data from four short-term (4-6 weeks), fixed-dose, placebo-controlled trials of ziprasidone for black, white, and overall populations of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Efficacy of ziprasidone in the black, white, and overall schizophrenic populations was compared to placebo using standard efficacy measures (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS] total, PANSS negative, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale [BPRS], Clinical Global Impression-Severity [CGI-S], CGI-Improvement [CGI-I]). Results: Black patients receiving ziprasidone demonstrated statistically significant improvements from baseline in PANSS total, PANSS negative, and BPRS, and improvements in CGI-S and CGI-I (n=99-149) compared with placebo (n=41-66); improvements were comparable to those observed in the overall population (n=451-639) and the white population (n=310-430). Interaction effect (treatment by race) was not significant for any efficacy variables. Ziprasidone was well-tolerated among black patients (n=175). Adjusted mean (least squares mean) overall weight gain in black patients receiving ziprasidone (n=124) was 1.8 kg. There were no increases in total cholesterol, triglycerides, or random glucose in the black population. Conclusion: Ziprasidone has similar efficacy and safety in black patients with schizophrenia compared with patients in the white and overall populations.