A review of paliperidone palmitate.

Risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) was the first second-generation antipsychotic available as a long-acting injection. Paliperidone (9-hydroxyrisperidone) is the active metabolite of risperidone, introduced initially as an extended release oral (ORal Osmotic System, OROS®, Alza Corporation) formulation (Invega®, Janssen). Paliperidone long-acting injection (PLAI) has now been developed as a suspension of paliperidone palmitate nanocrystals in an aqueous formulation (Invega Sustenna®, Xeplion®), administered monthly by intramuscular injection (deltoid or gluteal). Doses of PLAI can be expressed either in milligram equivalents (mg eq) of paliperidone palmitate or in milligrams of the active fraction of paliperidone. The recommended initiation regimen of 150 mg eq (234 mg) on day 1 and 100 mg eq (156 mg) on day 8 (both administered in the deltoid) achieves therapeutic blood levels rapidly and without the necessity of oral supplementation. No refrigeration or reconstitution prior to administration is required. PLAI has been shown in to be effective in controlling the acute symptoms of schizophrenia as well as delaying time to relapse. Safety and tolerability are comparable to RLAI with no new safety signals. Thus, PLAI may represent the rational development of RLAI with greater ease of use.