Shire plc’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patch, DAYTRANA™ (methylphenidate transdermal system), significantly reduced the symptoms of ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years, even when the ADHD patch is taken off earlier than the recommended nine hours.
Being able to remove the patch earlier than the recommended nine-hour wear time enables physicians to manage the potential for late-day side effects, such as lack of appetite or difficulty sleeping.
Such were the phase IIIb clinical trial results recently reported by Shire Plc (LON: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY) at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in San Diego, California.
Timothy E. Wilens, M.D., Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, explained:
"The patch's delivery system offers physicians individualized control of their patients' ADHD symptoms, adding an important dimension to the treatment of ADHD, since a child's schedule often varies between school day and weekend.
Because it is a patch, if a child sleeps late on the weekend and the patch is applied later than on a school day, it can still be removed at the usual time. That way, the child receives the benefit of their long-acting ADHD medication for a shorter duration of effect, as well as managing the potential for late-day side effects.
The physician, in consultation with the parent, can determine the appropriate patch wear time, up to the recommended nine hours."
DAYTRANA™ is the first and only patch medication approved by the USFDA for the treatment of the symptoms of pediatric ADHD and is available in four dosage strengths -- 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg and 30 mg -- all designed for once-daily use.
Find more details from the press release.
