Pharmacists Help Address Misconceptions About Long-Acting Injectable Therapies for Schizophrenia

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Michael McGuire, PharmD, a professor of pharmacy practice at the Belmont University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, delved into the increasingly important role of long-acting injectable (LAI) therapies in the management of schizophrenia. Often, misconceptions surround these treatments, including concerns about insurance coverage and patient resistance. McGuire addresses these common myths, shedding light on the realities of LAI accessibility and affordability.

He also explores the significant potential benefits these therapies offer, from improved medication adherence and relapse prevention to enhanced quality of life for individuals living with schizophrenia, providing valuable insights for both patients and pharmacists.

Pharmacy Times:What are some common misconceptions or concerns that pharmacists encounter from patients or prescribers regarding LAI medications, and how can these be effectively addressed?

Michael McGuire, PharmD: That [LAIs are] not covered by insurance, that they're expensive, that they're all intramuscular, they all require oral overlap, you know. And a lot of those are not true barriers. A lot of these are simple administrations. They're not all intramuscular. We've got more formulations now than we've ever had. There is complexity with them, and there is room for medication errors, so that's a prime area for pharmacists to be involved to ensure that medication errors don't happen.

I think there's also a misconception that these should not be used in the hospital, that it should just be an outpatient treatment intervention, that the hospital should just stabilize acutely and then let the outpatient initiate the LAI. But I really think that this is a prime place for us to start an LAI, because most of the time, whatever is done in the hospital, outpatient is going to follow. So, if we can get that started in the hospital and transition patients, I think that's an ideal an ideal setup. It does raise, though, an opportunity for medication errors to occur. So again, I would reiterate the importance of pharmacists knowing these products and being able to know where to go to find information about what do I do in case of missed doses? What do I do in cases of late dosing? What do I do if a patient just got one and now they're here with me. What do I do? How do I find when they got their last one? Again, all of this is a prime opportunity for pharmacist involvement in in using LAIs.

Pharmacy Times:Beyond medication adherence, what other potential benefits of LAIs should be emphasized when discussing treatment options with patients and providers?

McGuire: I think I would just reiterate overall cost savings, right? Overall decreased hospitalization rates, stable housing. Hopefully, if patients are on their meds, they're more likely to be in stable housing, less likely to be involved in illicit drug use, hopefully less likely to end up being picked up on minor misdemeanors. So, I mean, it's just any number of downstream effects or downstream benefits from keeping an individual stable on their medications over the long-term.