OBJECTIVES: Data on attaining and maintaining symptom remission associated with specific antipsychotic medications are rare and variant.  The aim of this study is to examine remission rates and their variation by antipsychotic medication in chronic schizophrenia in the National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) give it has an 18-month duration and representative antipsychotic medications.  METHODS: Symptom remission was examined using the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group remission criteria of attaining and maintaining for 6 months with mild ratings on 8 specific Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) items. Remission rates were assessed (a) up to 18 months across CATIE’s switching phases (n=1332); and (b) in phase 1 (that involved double-blind randomization to one of five antipsychotic medications) to compare antipsychotic medication differences in attaining and maintaining remission among patients not in remission at baseline (n=941).  RESULTS: A total of 15.7% of patients were in symptomatic remission at baseline.  Across the switching phases of CATIE only 11% attained and then maintained at least 6 months of symptomatic remission, and 55.5% (n=623) experienced no symptom remission at any visit.  In phase 1, attaining and maintaining remission for 6 months was highest for the olanzapine (13.3%) medication group followed by quetiapine (8.9%), ziprasidone (6.6%), perphenazine (6.2%), and risperidone (6.2%) groups.  CONCLUSIONS: As currently defined, remission appears to be a very difficult therapeutic target to attain and maintain in chronic schizophrenia and may differ by antipsychotic medication.  Pragmatically, remission gradients may be effectively studied by applying modified duration and symptom criteria.