Some anti-psychotics lack proof they work

STANFORD, Calif., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- There is a lack of strong evidence that atypical anti-psychotic medications -- often used in nursing homes -- actually help, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California and the University of Chicago looked at atypical anti-psychotics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for some uses but prescribed for others. For example, quetiapine -- brand name Seroquel -- approved to treat schizophrenia and other aspects of bipolar disorder and depression are often prescribed off-label for anxiety and dementia.

"Most people think, 'If my doctor prescribed this, the FDA must have evaluated whether this drug was safe and effective for this use.' That's not true," Dr. Randall Stafford of Stanford, the study senior author, said in a statement.

The study, published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, found 54 percent of the $10 billion in prescriptions in 2008 for new-generation anti-psychotics had uncertain evidence backing their use.

Stafford suggests off-label prescription of anti-psychotics may be due to marketing and ingrained cultural tendencies.

"There's still a tendency to think that the newest drugs must be better," he says. "In many cases, physicians don't realize they're prescribing off-label."

Among the atypical anti-psychotic drugs are quetiapine; aripoprazole or Abilify, olanzapine or Zyprexa and risperidone or Risperdal, each with annual U.S. sales exceeding $1 billion.