[Latin America: clinical responses to the antipsychotic drugs].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of a 12 months antipsychotic monotherapy treatment with Olanzapine, risperidone and an atypical antipsychotic drug in Latin American patients with schizophrenia.

METHOD: The outcomes of effectiveness and tolerability were evaluated in outpatients with schizophrenia belonging to a large sample (N=7658) in a prospective, international trial carried out in 27 countries. The results for the population of Latin America were presented.

RESULTS: The probabilities of response were higher for Olanzapine than Risperidone and the atypical antipsychotic drugs. (p < or = 0.05) and for risperidone compared with the atypical antipsychotic drugs. (p < or = 0.05). Olanzapine was better tolerated as regarding the extrapiramidals symptoms and the sexual disfunction, although it was associated to a higher weight gain, as compared to the other groups of the trial.

CONCLUSION: the trial indicated that in the Latin American patients with schizophrenia, it is likely that Olanzapine induces clinical responses and has lower incidences on side effects, when compared with risperidone or atypical antipsychotic drugs.