New Warnings on ADHD Drugs
An article from the
Associated Press on February 9, 2006 reports that experts from the US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel have recommended that Ritalin
and other stimulant drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
should carry the strongest warning that they may be linked to an increased
risk of death and injury. The story, reported by Andrew Bridges, noted
that the FDA advisory panel voted in favor of a "black box" warning. This
came after the panel heard about the deaths of 25 people, including 19
children, who had taken the drugs.
Dr. Curt Furberg, a professor
of public health sciences at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical
Center, and one of the FDA panelists said it would be "inappropriate, unethical
behavior" not to disclose that there was uncertainty about the safety of the
drugs. The AP article did note that the FDA is not required to follow
the recommendations of the panel.
Dr. Robert Temple, director
of the FDA's Office of Medical Policy, told reporters, "The committee
plainly wanted to tell us certain things ought to be in labeling in a more
forceful way." The article also reported that doctors prescribe these
drugs to about 2 million children and 1 million adults a month.
Dr. David Graham, a medical
officer at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research summed up his
concerns by saying, "There's smoke. Does that mean there's fire? We
wouldn't be going through this exercise if we didn't think there was a real
possibility of increased risk."
These drugs are big business.
The article noted that in the year 2000, sales of these drugs was at $759
million. That number rose to $3.1 billion by 2004. Additionally it was
noted that about 2.5 million children between age 4 and 17 take ADHD drugs
including 9.3 percent of 12-year-old boys and 3.7 percent of 11-year-old
girls. |