Long‐term safety and effectiveness of brexpiprazole in Japanese patients with schizophrenia: A 52‐week, open‐label study

Aim This study assessed the long‐term safety, tolerability, and maintenance of the therapeutic effect of brexpiprazole in Japanese patients with schizophrenia. Methods This 52‐week, open‐label, flexible‐dose (1–4 mg/day) study included patients with schizophrenia who continued treatment from a short‐term randomized placebo‐controlled fixed‐dose (1, 2, or 4 mg/day) trial and de novo patients who switched from other antipsychotics. Results A total of 282 patients (184 de novo and 98 rolled over from short‐term trial) entered the 52‐week treatment with brexpiprazole, and 150 (53.2%) patients completed the week‐52 assessment. Treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAE) were experienced by 235/281 patients (83.6%), and TEAE reported by ≥10% of all patients were nasopharyngitis (23.1%) and worsening of schizophrenia (22.4%). During the study, most of the TEAE were mild or moderate in severity, and there were no deaths, and no clinically meaningful mean changes in laboratory values, vital signs, or electrocardiogram parameters. Mean scores for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total and Clinical Global Impression–Severity remained stable until week 52. Conclusion Brexpiprazole was generally safe and well tolerated and maintained therapeutic effects in the long‐term treatment of Japanese patients with schizophrenia.