WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Children who are prescribed attention deficit medications may soon be able to wear a patch instead of taking a pill.
A new patch system delivers methylphenidate -- the main ingredient in Ritalin, Concerta, and Methylin -- throughout the day, reported WebMD.
The patch, made by Noven and Shire pharmaceutical companies, is the first attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, drug that does not have to be taken orally. Pending FDA approval, the companies plan to call the patch Daytrana.
Studies reported at this week's joint meeting of the American and Canadian Academies of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry find the patch works at least as well as the popular once-a-day ADHD drug.
"The patch is different from oral stimulant medications, where the longest action is up to 10 or 12 hours. It looks like the patch goes beyond that," said Sharon B. Wigal, Ph.D., director of clinical trials at the Child Development Center at the University of California, Irvine. "This is a plus, because this may really allow you to formulate a dose for individual patients."
