Speeding after ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become crowded with companies stepping forward with products to take on Novartis AG's Ritalin and Ritalin SR (sustained release) methylphenidates. With a fresh FDA approval in hand, Alza Corp. is set to launch its Concerta extended release methlyphenidate, adding to the other approved generic methylphenidates and amphetamine-based treatments. On their heels are five companies that have filed NDAs for ADHD compounds or have products in Phase II or Phase III trials.
At the same time, recent reports in the August issue of theJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, have suggested that ADHD is over-diagnosed and over-treated in the U.S., while Europeans scoff that ADHD is an imaginary disease known only in America. ...