Antipsychotic prescription pattern in ASEAN: Comparison of antipsychotic prescription formulation and type from REAP-AP4 consortium study

Background: To date, there has not been an evaluation of antipsychotic prescription practices specific to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. This study examined antipsychotic prescription for schizophrenia patients in ASEAN countries based on Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription (REAP) survey. Methods: This study used data from the fourth REAP antipsychotic survey (REAP-AP4), conducted between March and May 2016 using standardized procedures. In total, 1817 adult schizophrenia patients from six ASEAN countries were analysed. Results: Prescription formulation was significantly associated with illness duration (G (24) = 150.595, p < .001) and prescribing country (G (20) = 571.423, p < .001). Oral antipsychotic monotherapy was the most common prescription across all illness durations, with a decreasing trend from 3–6 months to 10–20 years. Oral antipsychotic monotherapy was also the most commonly used prescription in almost all countries. The frequency of long-acting injection (LAI)-oral combination antipsychotic prescription increased with the patient’s illness duration and is more commonly prescribed in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Conclusion: LAI-oral combination antipsychotics were prescribed more frequently within patients with longer duration of illness in more developed countries. Antipsychotic monotherapy and oral antipsychotic prescriptions were prevalent across all illness durations and in most ASEAN countries.