1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
Timing is everything, by Roxanne Khamsi
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Jul-10
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Beginning in the 1970s, some hospitalized patients with schizophrenia began receiving drug injections that lasted for weeks in place of their daily antipsychotic pills. These extended doses helped them stick to their prescribed course of medicine but also carried the risk of causing irreversible neurological damage. This news feature, "Timing is everything", reports on how newer versions of such long-acting injectables might radically change the treatment of ailments ranging from alcoholism to diabetes.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The reporting process for this piece involved scouring scientific journals for research papers going back to the 1970s on the development of long-acting antipsychotic medications. In addition to drawing on findings reported in publications such as the British Journal of Psychiatry and Journal of Psychopharmacology, I also drew extensively on market research reports and information from pharmaceutical company websites.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
I traveled from New York to the Boston suburb of Waltham to visit the headquarters of Alkermes, a company featured in the news story. In addition, I also visited the Zucker Hillside Hospital, a 223-bed psychiatric facility, to meet with clinicians who are prescribing long-acting antipsychotic medications. Like any news reporter, I also spent many hours on the phone speaking with scientists and market analysts about the future of this class of drugs. My interviewees lived as far away as Australia and Britain.
6. Results (if any).
My visits to the psychiatric facility and the Alkermes company headquarters provided helpful bookends to the story about these long-acting drugs. On the one hand it's clear that some patients and clinicians are interested in long-acting medications for conditions such as schizophrenia; but on the other hand, companies still face hurdles in getting such products to market.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
There have been no corrections or challenges to this article.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
My visit to the psychiatric facility was invaluable. I highly recommend meeting with clinicians face-to-face when writing about a controversial medication such as long-acting antipsychotic medications.