ADHD drug data to be reviewed

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Two U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies announced Monday they will collaborate in a review of ADHD drugs.

Officials at the Food and Drug Administration and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said they will conduct the most comprehensive study to date of prescription medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to determine the drugs' potential for increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems.

The review will include the clinical data of about 500,000 children and adults who have taken medications used to treat ADHD.

The two-year study will be coordinated by Vanderbilt University. Data analysis will be performed by researchers at Vanderbilt, Kaiser Permanente of California, the HMO Research Network and i3 Drug Safety, an Ingenix company.