A Review of Patient Outcomes in Pharmacological Studies From the Psychiatric Literature, 1966-1993

A literature search was conducted on studies of new drugs used with patients with schizophrenia reported by U.S. & non-U.S. researchers from 1966-1993, yielding 41 U.S. & a total of 24 non-U.S. studies, among them 11 British studies. Compared to U.S. studies, those by non-U.S. & particularly British researchers appeared to report adverse events in their studies. ‘Challenge’ drugs were not used; suicides were reported. It is estimated that the probability that no patients suicided who participated in the U.S. is small – one in 500. (26 refs)