Shire touts improvement offered by new ADHD drug

Shire Pharmaceuticals, the British-based pharmaceutical company, has announced new clinical trial results for a new drug intended to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in which the drug demonstrated its potential in improving the symptoms of the disorder.

Developed by Shire’s collaborative partner, New River Pharmaceuticals, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate was used in ADHD patients aged between six and 12 in a phase III clinical trial for six months.

Judged against the clinical global impressions-improvement scores, 95 per cent of patients demonstrated a “much improved” or “very much improved” rating after six months, while there was a 60 per cent increase in the primary rating scale scores for children aged between six and 12 after six months of treatment.

Furthermore, the drug was “generally well tolerated” and Shire expects full-year results to be published midway through 2007.

Ann Childress, study investigator and president of the Centre for Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, remarked: “This study further demonstrates the potential of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate to be an effective treatment option for children with ADHD.”

“Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate was designed to offer the effectiveness of a stimulant with a novel prodrug formulation that is inactive until metabolised in the body,” she added.

The drug was recently given an approvable letter from the FDA, sending Shire’s shares past the one pound mark earlier this month.