Patient and Healthcare Professional Attitudes and Trial Experiences with a Subcutaneous Long-Acting Injectable Olanzapine (TV-44749) for Schizophrenia Treatment

Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics improve schizophrenia treatment adherence compared with oral antipsychotics but remain underused. TV-44749 is an innovative, once-monthly, subcutaneous (SC) LAI olanzapine designed to provide sustained efficacy through controlled olanzapine release over the monthly dosing interval without oral supplementation or complex initiation regimens. This survey assessed patients’ and healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) attitudes and experiences with TV-44749 during the phase 3 SOLARIS trial. This study complemented the SOLARIS trial, which assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of TV-44749 in adults with schizophrenia (NCT05693935). Separate online surveys were developed and sent to patients and HCPs. Overall, 70 patients (66% male; mean [SD] age, 44 [10.7] years) and 35 HCPs (11 physicians and 24 nurses) completed the survey. Patient characteristics mirrored the larger SOLARIS population. Patients preferred SC versus intramuscular injections (79% vs. 21%, respectively), primarily due to the shorter/thinner needle (67%). For HCPs, injection route preference was balanced. Most patients (90%) indicated that an LAI without a post-injection monitoring period would be helpful. Most physicians (> 90%) and nurses (> 66%) reported that the post-injection monitoring requirements present potential treatment barriers and clinical challenges that could impact LAI use. Most respondents (> 81%) indicated that injection type, initiation regimen, and dosing schedule were important treatment attributes. Patients attributed a higher degree of value than HCPs to dosing schedule and injection type. Respondents (> 72%) had favorable responses (satisfied or very satisfied) regarding TV-44749’s initiation regimen, dosing schedule, and the trial medication overall, and answered favorably regarding continuing TV-44749 treatment. Overall, this study highlights the differential value of TV-44749 and where it may address barriers associated with IM LAI olanzapine pamoate use. Additionally, these results provide insight into differences in attitudes and experiences among patients and HCPs regarding use of LAIs and help to identify opportunities where education could improve LAI adoption. Graphical plain language summary available for this article.