Run-in periods and clinical outcomes of antipsychotics in dementia: A meta-epidemiological study of placebo-controlled trials.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Run-in periods are used to identify placebo-responders and washout. Our aim was to assess the association of run-in periods with clinical outcomes of antipsychotics in dementia.

Methods

We searched randomized placebo-controlled trials of conventional and atypical antipsychotics for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in dementia in electronic sources and references of selected articles. We extracted (a) the presence of a run-in period, use of placebo/investigated drug during run-in (versus washout only), and run-in duration (1 week or more) and (b) the reduction in NPS, number of participants with somnolence, extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), and deaths per treatment group. We pooled clinical outcomes comparing antipsychotic and placebo groups in trials with and without run

SUBMITTER: Hulshof TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7027584 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature