Letter to the Editor May 15, 2007

A Pilot Observational Crossover Study of QTc Interval Changes Associated With Switching Between Olanzapine and Risperidone

Chieh-Liang Huang, MD; Kuan-Pin Su, MD; Hsiu-Bao Hsu, MD; Carmine M. Pariante, MD, PhD

J Clin Psychiatry 2007;68(5):803-805

Article Abstract

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Sir: Antipsychotic drug-related QTc interval prolongations1-3 have raised concern because of the potential risk of predisposing patients to torsade de pointes and sudden death.4 Olanzapine and risperidone seem to have similar safety in regard to QTc interval prolongations in clinical trials5-7 and a head-to-head randomized comparison study.8 However, risperidone has been reported to be associated with cases of QT prolongation and sudden death.9-12‘ ‹