Aripiprazole (Abilify®)

Following a full submission.

Aripiprazole (Abilify) is accepted for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of schizophrenia. It is one of several atypical anti-psychotic medicines that improve symptoms of an acute relapse and reduce the risk of relapse comparable to a typical antipsychotic.

The evidence of comparable efficacy to other atypical antipsychotics is limited. It is associated with a lower incidence of extra-pyramidal side effects than typical antipsychotics, and comparable to other atypicals. It is associated with less elevation of serum prolactin, less lipid abnormalities and less clinically significant weight gain over the short-term compared with other atypical antipsychotics. It does not adversely effect blood glucose nor have a clinically significant advantage compared to other antipsychotics with respect to this.