Myomancy: The Business of ADHD

A good post here about the influence of big business on ADHD at Myomancy:

"The Business of ADHD Drug companies make lots of money from ADHD. This is not news but it is worth keeping an eye on what the drug companies are up to. Pharmaceutical Business Review has a good article on the general state of the ADHD medication market which includes this titbit:

'Most drugs prescribed in the EU are genericized and are very cheap; in fact high-priced Adderall XR (Shire Pharmaceuticals) is not available in the EU or Japan and there are no drugs promoted at all for ADHD in Italy'.

If Italy can survive without masses of ADHD drugs you must ask why their schools are not overwhelmed by hoards of uncontrollable hyperactive kids? Maybe its because the drugs, over the long-term, make no difference or even make the problem worse?

In Business Week they have a short piece on New River Pharmaceuticals and their new drug NRP104 for ADHD. New River claim it is 'a safer, abuse resistant and effective alternative to current amphetamine-based therapies' but then they are hardly likely to say its a more dangerous, less effective treatment are they?

December 29, 2005"