• Stephen Martin, Henri Lĵo, Joseph Peuskens, Srinivasa Thirumalai, Agnes Giudicelli, Odile Fleurot, Werner Rein, and SOLIANOL Study Group.
• Alzheimer Disease Research Unit, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Verdun, Quebec, Canada. profsmartin@hotmail.com
• Curr Med Res Opin. 2002 Jan 1; 18 (6): 355362355-62.

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy and safety of the atypical antipsychotics amisulpride and olanzapine in the treatment of acute psychotic exacerbations of schizophrenia.Design And SettingA multinational, double-blind randomised clinical trial.Patients And TreatmentThree hundred and seventy-seven patients with predominantly positive symptomatology were treated for six months with either amisulpride (200-800 mg/d) or olanzapine (5-20 mg/d).Main Outcome MeasuresShort-term results were analysed after two months of treatment. The primary efficacy measure was the change of score on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Other measures of efficacy and safety were also evaluated.ResultsPsychotic symptoms, as measured on the BPRS score, improved with both treatments, amisulpride being equivalent to olanzapine. All BPRS factor scores, as well as depressive symptoms, improved to a similar extent with both treatments. Less than five per cent of patients withdrew for adverse events, and there was no evidence for the emergence of extrapyramidal symptoms with either treatment. Statistically significant greater weight gain (2.7 +/- 3.9 kg) was observed during the study in the olanzapine group, compared with the amisulpride group (0.9 +/- 3.2 kg, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsAmisulpride and olanzapine show equivalent efficacy at 2 months in the treatment of acute psychotic exacerbations of schizophrenia. Amisulpride offers a significant advantage in preserving body weight.

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