PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Published Saturday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the National Institute of Mental Health's CATIE study of drug treatments for schizophrenia reveals how clozapine efficacy far exceeds that of other anti-psychotic drugs tested. Outcomes are now expected to be even better because Alamo Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of the FazaClo(R) brand of clozapine, provides the special services that doctors need to manage the medication safely in greater numbers of patients.
How FazaClo Uniquely Helps Doctors Optimize Safety
When doctors prescribe FazaClo(R), the more convenient orally disintegrating tablet form of clozapine, Alamo Pharmaceuticals provides them with unique services. These services include a 24/7 medical hotline and a nation-wide team of FazaClo Systems Consultants -- health professionals specially trained to organize, expedite and maintain the added blood test schedules and paperwork doctors require to optimize patient safety. Required monitoring, additional recordkeeping, and management of patient safety have historically been issues impeding wider use of this most effective anti-psychotic medication.
(While clozapine can cause potentially serious side effects or a drop in white cells in the blood of approximately 0.37% of monitored patients, these risks have been managed successfully by using a blood test regimen that requires the doctor to see acceptable blood count results before each successive prescription can be filled. For most patients blood tests are administered with a decreasing frequency over the first year until only monthly blood draws are required.)
How FazaClo Can Improve the CATIE Outcomes
"Taking the CATIE data as our baseline, one can envision even better results with FazaClo orally disintegrating tablets, because Alamo Pharmaceuticals gives doctors and clinics the help they need to optimize treatment safety, and because clinical data show that 8 out of 10 patients crossed-over from the older form of clozapine say they really like taking our newer orally disintegrating clozapine formulation," commented Gilbert Honigfeld, PhD, Alamo Pharmaceuticals Vice President of Scientific Affairs, "and when patients like taking their medication, they are much more likely to adhere to treatment."
Important Information About FazaClo (clozapine, USP) Orally Disintegrating Tablets
Please see the website below for Full Prescribing Information including BOXED WARNINGS regarding agranulocytosis, seizures, dementia-related psychosis in elderly patients, myocarditis and other adverse cardiovascular and respiratory effects. Phenylketonurics: FazaClo Orally Disintegrating Tablets contain phenyalanine.
About Alamo Pharmaceuticals
FazaClo(R) (clozapine, USP) Orally Disintegrating Tablets are a product of Alamo Pharmaceuticals. The company's headquarters is in Beverly Hills, CA, and its office for pharmaceutical operations and sales is in Parsippany, New Jersey.
For more information please visit http://www.fazaclo.com.
Alamo Pharmaceuticals