New twist on ADHD drug makes it last

BOSTON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A reformulated and longer-lasting drug helps children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who struggle to comply with their current treatment schedules, a new study announced Monday reveals.

Researchers led by Dr. Joseph Biederman, director of pediatric psycholopharmacology at Massachusetts General Hospital found a newer formulation of the stimulant Adderall, taken only once a day in the morning, provided effective treatment of ADHD symptoms throughout the entire day.

"This medication provides continuous medication support and treatment of ADHD," Biederman told United Press International. Not only were children able to get through the school day without problems, he said, but their treatment also continued to be effective after school, when children often are playing sports or active in after-school activities.

The study, funded by Adderall's manufacturer, Shire Pharmaceuticals of Hampshire, England, looked at more than 500 children ages 6 to 12 who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The children were located in 47 sites across the United States. All were divided randomly into four groups.

For one week, all participants took a placebo to rinse their bodies of current treatments. Then the children were placed into one of the four groups. One group stayed on placebo therapy from start to finish. The remaining three were placed on a 10-milligram-daily dose of the newer Adderall formulation. After one week, two of the three medicated groups starting receiving 20 milligrams per day. Following one week of that therapy, one of the two groups advanced to a 30-milligram-daily dosage. The study was double-blinded so no one among the children, their parents and researchers knew what dosages participants took.

During the four-week study, the children received weekly evaluations from their physicians. Also, parents and teachers completed weekly evaluations of the children's behavior at home and at school. All the children also underwent complete physical examinations before and after the study.

The study results showed even the 10 milligram dosage produced significant behavioral improvements throughout the day and into the evening when compared to children on placebo. Symptom improvements registered with each dosage increase, researchers report, with children on the 30 milligram dosage receiving the best evaluations from both teachers and parents. No serious side effects were observed.

The latest formulation of Adderall provides steady relief while minimizing interruption during the child's day at school and afterward. Earlier treatments of ADHD required children to go to the school nurse to receive their medications, but Biederman said this newer therapy helps kids avoid being publicly identified for having ADHD.

"Adderall is a very effective alternative to Ritalin," Biederman said. "It's not like replacing one with the other." It just widens the treatment options for children since one approach does not always fit everyone, he said.

Standard Adderall is composed of several amphetamine-based drugs, but it only works for four hours. The new formulation is similar to other long-acting stimulants, such as extended-release Ritalin, researchers explained.

Dr. Jerry Rushton, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor prescribes ADHD treatment and said a longer-lasting medication would be particularly appealing to older students with this condition.

"I don't see (this study) as a major breakthrough," Rushton told UPI, but "I can't emphasize how important it is especially for high schoolers and middle schoolers who don't want to go down to the school nurse and be singled out."

The study is published in the August issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

(Reported by Katrina Woznicki, UPI Science News, in Washington)