Shu 2010.

Methods	Allocation: randomised. Blindness: open‐label, rater‐blinded. Duration: 72 hours.
Participants	Diagnosis: ICD‐10 diagnosis of schizophrenia. N = 376. Age: range 18‐65 years. Sex: males and females. History: mean duration of acute agitation 3.4 days (haloperidol group), 3.2 days (ziprasidone group); mean duration of schizophrenia 4 years (haloperidol group), 5.6 years (ziprasidone group). Excluded: history of clinically significant physical illness especially myocardial infarction, non compensatory heart failure, people receiving an investigational agent in the previous 3 months to screening, us of antipsychotic agents within 12 hours or parenteral benzodiazepines within 4 hours prior to randomisation and during the study. Setting: multi‐centre, China.
Interventions	1. Haloperidol: dose 5 mg/IM, maximum 20 mg during 24 hours (mean number of IMs not reported). N = 187. 2. Ziprasidone: flexible dose 10 mg/IM to 20 mg/IM, maximum 40 mg in 24 hours (mean number of IMs not reported). N = 189.
Outcomes	Mental state: BPRS. Adverse effects: laboratory tests, ECG's, physical examination. Leaving the study early. Unable to use: Specific behaviour: agitation ‐ BPRS agitation items (modified from BPRS, only report LS means; means/SD not reported). Specific behaviour: agitation ‐ BARS (only give upper quartile value and LS means; means/SD not reported). Global state: CGI‐I (only report CI and LS means, means/SD not reported). Global state: CGI‐S (only give upper quartile value and LS means, means/SD not reported). Adverse effects: BAS and SAS (only report LS means).
Notes
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	"randomized in a 1:1 ratio (in blocks of 4)" (p.179); no further informations on the randomization procedure is stated.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not stated.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Open‐label.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Rater‐blinded.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	The reasons for leaving the study early were reported for those participants who did not complete the study. However, the number of participants completing different assessments at the same time point vary and reasons are not given.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Only report side effects experienced by ≥2% of people.
Other bias	High risk	Sponsored by drug company.