OBJECTIVES: Patients with schizophrenia frequently switch between antipsychotics, underscoring the need to ensure that important treatment outcomes such as health-related quality of life (HRQL) are achieved and maintained following the switch.  This analysis evaluated changes in overall health-related quality of life among patients with schizophrenia switched from current antipsychotic treatment to lurasidone.  METHODS: Stable, but symptomatic outpatients with schizophrenia were switched from their current antipsychotic to lurasidone, in a 6-week, open-label trial, conducted in the US. The Personal Evaluation of Transitions in Treatment (PETiT) is a validated 30-item instrument measuring self-reported overall quality of life outcomes among patients with schizophrenia. In addition, PETiT assesses two domain scores on psychosocial functioning and adherence related attitude. Higher scores on PETiT denote better HRQL. PETiT scale was administered at baseline and study endpoint. Changes from baseline to study endpoint in PETiT total score (overall HRQL) and domain scores (psychosocial functioning and adherence) were compared using ANCOVA with baseline score, treatment, and pooled site as covariates.  RESULTS: Of the 244 patients switched to lurasidone from other antipsychotics, patients with available data on PETiT (n=213) were included in the analysis. Mean PETiT total scores at baseline was 35.3 and at study endpoint was 38.5. Mean change from baseline  to the study endpoint in the PETiT total score was 3.2, change in psychosocial functioning  domain score  was 2.5, and change in adherence domain score was 0.7, significant in all patient groups (p<0.001).  CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study indicate that patients switching from other antipsychotics to lurasidone experienced statistically significant improvement in HRQL, psychosocial functioning and adherence related attitude within six weeks of treatment. Further investigation regarding the effects of longer-term lurasidone treatment on HRQL outcomes is warranted.