Asenapine once daily versus twice daily: impact on patient acceptance in a randomized, open-label, 14-day clinical trial.

To the Editor: Asenapine is a newly approved, second-generation antipsychotic with demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of schizophrenia.1,2 However, the acceptance of asenapine is compromised in some patients by its associated daytime sleepiness. The US Food and Drug Administration recommended dose for asenapine as the acute treatment of schizophrenia is 5 mg twice daily,3 but its terminal half-life of approximately 24 hours3 suggests that it can be administered as a single bedtime dose. In the present study, we conducted a randomized, open-label trial to determine if asenapine 10 mg at bedtime was more acceptable to patients than asenapine 5 mg twice daily.