Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Quetiapine in Patients With Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious and disabling psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1% of theworld’s population, with its economic cost in the United States alone estimated to exceed that of allcancers combined. The new generation of atypical antipsychotics introduced over the past decadehave comparable or greater efficacy than traditional antipsychotics in treating the psychotic symptomsof schizophrenia and a much improved neurologic side effect profile. Quetiapine, the fourthatypical antipsychotic marketed in the United States, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationin September 1997 and is also currently approved in over 70 countries worldwide for thetreatment of psychosis associated with schizophrenia. This article will review the clinical trials examiningthe efficacy, safety, and tolerability of quetiapine in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia.