TOPLINE:
Clozapine use was associated with a 25% higher risk for infections in patients with schizophrenia than the use of olanzapine, with a 45% higher risk in those aged 55 years or older, a large cohort study showed.
METHODOLOGY:
The population-based cohort study included electronic health record data from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority for more than 11,051 adults with schizophrenia.
Participants had used clozapine (n = 1450; mean age, 41 years; 52% women) or olanzapine (n = 9601; mean age, 45 years; 55% women) continuously for 90 or more days and had previously used at least two other antipsychotic medications, representing a cohort with treatment resistance.
The primary outcome was occurrence of any infectious disease, with subtypes analyzed as secondary outcomes.
Medication w