ADHD Treatments Last LongerTo Help Children With ADHD Manage Symptoms ThroughoutThe School Day (NAPSA)—For families who struggle with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the school year can be a particularly difficult time. But, there is good news for people with ADHD because there are treatments that can help manage the symptomsof inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity thereby helping to address the academic and social challenges that children with ADHDface in school. Stimulant medications, such as Ritalin (methylphenidate HCl), have been used to treat ADHD for more than 40 years and have been shown to improve symptomsin up to 90 percent of ADHD patients. Today, children with ADHD and their families have more treatment options than ever before including medications that last throughout the school day, eliminating the need for children to take medications while at school. A study published recently in Pediatric Drugs compared two long-acting ADHD treatments—a long-acting version of genuine Ritalin called Ritalin LA (methylphenidate HCl) extended-release capsules and Concerta (methylphenidate HCl) extended-release tablets. “These study findings suggest that there may be important dif- eet Vina ferences between long-acting treatments for ADHD,” said Frank Lopez, M.D., Children’s Developmental Center in Maitland, Florida, lead investigator and author of the study. “In our study, treatment with Ritalin LA provided patients with better symptom management during the critical morning hours and contin- ued to better manage symptoms throughoutthe entire school day.” In the study, patients who received the recommended starting dose of Ritalin LA (20 mg) experienced a nearly two-fold improvement in attention and a more than three-fold improvement in behavior compared to the starting dose of Concerta (18 mg) during the morning. Patients taking the starting dose of Ritalin LA also demonstrated significant improvement compared to pa- tients taking a higher dose of Concerta (36 mg) during the morning. Patients taking Ritalin LA continued to experience greater improvement throughout the school day compared to patients taking Concerta 18 mg or Concerta 36 mg. These findings are the results of one study and need to be confirmed with additional research. Results from a nationwide survey of more than 14,000 parents and patients with ADHD confirm the importance for symptom management during the morning and throughout the school day. According to the survey, 65 percent of respondents reported that ADHD symptoms are most problematic during school/work and 44 percent said that symptom management is most important in the morning (followed by afternoon, 34 percent, and evening, nine percent). Fiftysix percent of respondents reported that rapid onset is important, saying that they want ADHD medication to begin working as soon as possible. Ritalin LA has rapid onset of action like Ritalin, with efficacy that lasts throughout the school day. Every patient’s treatment needs are unique. Families should work closely with their physician in order to determine the most appropriate treatment for their ADHD. For more information about ADHD, visit http://www.adhdinfo.com. Editor’s Note: Ritalin LA is a registered trademark of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Concerta is a registered trademark of McNeil Specialty & Consumer Pharmaceuticals. In a placebo controlled, double-blind study, the most commonly reported adverse events of Ritalin LA included anorexia, insomnia, sore throat, headache and vomiting. Ritalin LA is contraindicated in patients known to be hypersensitive to the drug or to Ritalin, in patients with glaucoma, in patients with motortics, and in patients with a family history or diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome. In addition, Ritalin LA is contraindicated during treatment with monoamineoxidase inhibitors and should not be taken until at least 14 days after discontinuation of a monoamineoxidase inhibitor. Ritalin LA is a schedule II controlled substance and should be given cautiously to patients with a history of drug dependenceor alcoholism. Concerta 18 mg is the recommended conversion dose from MPH 5 mg bid, MPH 5 mgtid and sustained release MPH 20 mg and therecommendedstarting dose for treatment-naive patients. Ritalin LA 20 mg is the recommended conversion dose from MPH 10 mg bid and sustained release MPH 20 mg and the recommended starting dose for treatment-naive patients. The foregoing information contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by forward-looking terminology such as, “can be,” “may be,” “need to be confirmed,” or similar expressions. Such statements involve known and unknownrisks, uncertainties and other fac- tors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. In particular, management’s expectation regarding the commercial success of Ritalin LA could be affected by among other things, uncertainties relating to product development, regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection and competition in general, as well as factors discussed in the Form 20Ffiled with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or moreof these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
