Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Blonanserin in Treating Patients with Schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of blonanserin in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase) were searched. Studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of blonanserin in treating schizophrenia were inclued. The combined effect sizes were calculated using relative risk (RR), risk difference (RD) or mean difference (MD). RESULTS: Overall, 13 prospective studies involving 2,479 patients with schizophrenia were summarised and analysed. We selected five commonly used antipsychotic drugs, namely haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine, paliperidone and aripiprazole. The meta-analysis showed that compared with a placebo, blonanserin significantly improved the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total scores (MD:-7.91; 95% confidence interval [CI]:-15.56, -0.26) and positive scores (MD:-2.48; 95% CI:-4.79, -0.18), and it was comparable with other Antipsychotic drugs regarding PANSS total scores, positive scores and general psychopathology scores. Additionally, the difference between blonanserin and haloperidol (MD:-0.75; 95% CI:-1.00, -0.50) on PANSS negative score changes was statistically significant. At the same time, the safety analysis revealed that compared with risperidone, blonanserin was associated with a lower risk of increased blood prolactin (RR:0.66; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.86), hyperprolactinemia (RR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.78) and weight gain (RD: -0.04; 95% CI: -0.07, -0.01) as well as a higher risk of akathisia (RD: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.17). Moreover, it exhibited side-effects similar to those of other antipsychotic drugs regarding constipation, dizziness, headache, insomnia, muscle rigidity and hypersalivation. CONCLUSION: Blonanserin is effective and safe in the treatment of schizophrenia, which is beneficial for guiding the clinical practice of schizophrenia treatment. However, more high-quality studies are needed in the future to validate its effect.