Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

By Paula Moyer
Special to DG News

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- October 25, 2002 -- A new once-daily formulation of atomoxetine (Strattera), an investigative agent, appears to be a safe and effective for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Dr. David Michelson, medical director of Lilly Research Laboratories in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and colleagues presented their data here October 24 at the 49th annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ACAAP).

"The once-daily formulation appears to be as effective as twice-daily atomoxetine treatment," said Dr. Michelson. "Treatment effects were seen into the evening, with dosing in the morning."

Noting the universal popularity of once-daily dosing of treatments for a variety of conditions, Dr. Michelson and his colleagues conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy of this formulation of atomoxetine in children and adolescents, six to 16 years (average approximately 10 years), diagnosed with ADHD.

The investigators randomised 85 children to treatment with once-daily atomoxetine and 86 to placebo. To evaluate response to treatment, they used the investigator-rated ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS), the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised (CPRS-R) and the Conners