Paliperidone palmitate

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Paliperidone palmitate is an injectable antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. It is the palmitate ester of paliperidone and acts as a long-acting form of the drug. It is sold under brand names such as Invega Sustenna and Invega Trinza, among others. The medicine is formulated as an aqueous suspension with a noticeable alcohol-like smell and is injected into a muscle (deltoid or gluteal).

The injection schedule depends on the formulation: every 1 month (monthly), every 3 months, or, in development, every 6 months. As of 2021, a 6-month version was pending regulatory approval. The drug is designed to release paliperidone slowly over time.

Pharmacokinetics (how the body handles the drug): after a monthly injection, peak levels occur around 13 days, with a half-life of about 25–49 days. After a 3-month injection, peak occurs around 30–33 days, with a half-life of roughly 84–95 days in the deltoid and 118–139 days in the gluteal muscle. The steady-state peak-to-trough variation is about 1.56–1.70 for the 1- and 3-month formulations. The 3-month version uses larger crystals to extend its duration. No data for the 6-month formulation were released by early 2021.