Shire to compare Vyvanse to Concerta in new trials

Shire is commencing a pair of phase IV clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of its attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment Vyvanse to the alternative therapy Concerta.

The head-to-head studies will evaluate differences in efficacy between Vyvanse and Concerta in adolescents with ADHD aged 13 to 17, enrolling around 1,000 patients in all.

One trial will employ a dose optimisation design and the other a forced-dose titration schedule, with results from both studies expected in the second half of 2013.

Shire is conducting these comparative trials after a recently concluded phase III Vyvanse study, which used Concerta in its active reference arm, showed this to be an area in which further investigation could prove beneficial.

Dr Jeffrey Jonas, senior vice-president of research and development for Shire's specialty pharmaceuticals and regenerative medicine businesses, said: "Shire's investment in this innovative program underscores our commitment to improving patient care by providing prescribers with additional information on which to base treatment decisions."

Vyvanse has been available in the US since 2007 and is currently under review by regulators in Europe, where if approved it will be sold under the name Venvanse.