To Determine if Olanzapine is More Cost Effective Than Haloperidol for the Treatment of Schizophrenia

Although currently marketed antipsychotic drugs are useful in the treatment of schizophrenia, efficacy and safety profiles need to be improved. Forty to eighty percent of patients either fail to respond or only partially respond to conventional antipsychotic agents. Secondary symptoms may be unimproved even in patients who respond to treatment. A variety of adverse events occur in patients receiving currently available agents. The severity of these events contributes to the poor compliance that is observed in this patient population. Olanzapine is a novel antipsychotic agent with a reduced incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms. Other side effects are minimal.