January 18, 2007
Shire Pharmaceuticals is looking to receive approval on their third medication for the treatment of ADHD named VYVANSE.
Shire has two other products for ADHD. Daytrana, a methylphenadate patch worn by children on the hip, and the somewhat controversial ADDerall XR. Both products are once per day dosing.
VYVANSE is lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, which is d-amphetamine bonded to the amino acid l-lysine, and because of the process is slowly released.
Effectiveness was measured by testing about 270 children with ADHD on parent rating scales. According to the company the "average improvement" was "more than 60%" - which tells us nothing about what percentage of the children were responders, or non-responders. But overall the children showed less symptoms of ADHD.
In our testing, Attend made significant improvements in over 70% of the subjects.
You can read more about the Vyvanse's development here.
You can learn more about Vyvanse at their web site.
Last fall the FDA issued their second approval letter on VYVANSE to Shire, and they have requested more data, which is routine.
The product is expected to be on the market by the summer of 2007.
New River Pharmaceuticals And Shire Receive Approvable Letter For VYVANSE™ (lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate) For The Treatment Of ADHD - New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: NRPH) and its collaborative partner Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a second approvable letter for VYVANSE (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, formerly known as NRP104) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). click link for full article