Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of 180 mg Subcutaneous Risperidone From 6 mg Oral Risperidone

PERSERIS is an extended-release subcutaneous (SC) injectable suspension administered monthly for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. PERSERIS was approved by the FDA at doses equivalent to 3 mg and 4 mg oral risperidone. Many patients require doses of 5-6 mg oral risperidone and above, and this study will test a higher dose of PERSERIS in order to meet this need. Eligible subjects will initially be stabilized in the clinical unit on 6 mg oral risperidone for 5 days and transition to an approximate dose of PERSERIS by SC injection. PERSERIS will be administered every 28 days and subjects will be admitted to the clinical unit the day before, and remain in the unit for 3 days after each injection for pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety evaluations (a total of 8 days for the first injection including the stabilization period). Subjects will return to the clinic between injections for additional PK, safety and efficacy assessments at scheduled intervals until the next injection. A total of 4 doses of PERSERIS will be administered. The 4th dose will evaluate an alternate site for injection, and will be administered in the back of the upper arm. Subjects will return to the clinical unit for an end of study visit and will receive a follow up phone call to assess for adverse events one week after the end of study visit.