CATIE-AD Data Presented: Conclusions to Come : Investigators are comparing drug treatments for psychosis and agitation in Alzheimer's patients.

“Other reasons have to do with patients or caregivers discontinuing the trial, period. Lastly, switching medication at 2 and 4 weeks is congruent with what experts say when they're asked, 'How long do you keep a dementia patient with psychosis on an antipsychotic?' On average, it's 2–4 weeks.”

The investigators did not report any phase I clinical outcomes. Although they did not draw firm conclusions given the freshness of the data, Dr. Tariot did report that, collectively, active treatment with one of the three antipsychotics was “different” than placebo. Specifically, 39% of phase I patients who took olanzapine discontinued the drug for lack of efficacy, compared with 53% of patients who took quetiapine, 44% of patients who took risperidone, and 70% who took placebo.

In addition, 24% of phase I patients who took olanzapine discontinued the drug for reasons of intolerance, adverse events, or death, compared with 16% of patients who took quetiapine, 18% of patients who took risperidone, and 5% who took placebo.

More data from the trial are expected to be released this spring. The NIMH funded the trial and the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the antipsychotics supplied drugs for the study.