Combination therapy using olanzapine plus amisulpride may be more effective for managing acutely ill patients with schizophrenia than monotherapy with either drug, a trial suggests.

Given the dearth of guidance on the co-initiation of non-clozapine second-generation antipsychotics, German researchers said the results from their government-funded study may aid clinical decision-making.

They stressed, however, that the advantages offered by this therapeutic approach “have to be weighed against a higher propensity for side-effects”.

In the multicentre trial, the team — led by clinicians at the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf — investigated the combination approach in 321 adults (mean age 40; 71% male) with non-first episode schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.