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news.Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute have found that patients between the ages of 6 - 17 who were treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with Concerta were more likely to remain on long-term therapy than patients who were prescribed other forms of methylphenidate formulations.
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According to Mark Olfson, a psychiatric researcher at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 80% of patients suffering from ADHD are treated with stimulant medications, and a majority of these are likely to experience symptoms until they reach early adulthood.
In light of this, the new report set out to determine whether specific methylphenidate products are more likely to be associated with greater continuity of ADHD treatment.
The study is an analysis of data of over 11,000 patients aged 6 – 17 who initiated therapy with either an immediate-release or an extended-release formulation of methylphenidate during a three-year period. The duration of the treatment was calculated and was considered to have terminated if a gap of 30 or more days occurred from the end of the last prescription supply and the start of the subsequent prescription.
The data was then analyzed to determine whether patients on specific forms of methylphenidate were more likely to continue with long-term therapy than patients on other formulations of the methylphenidate.
The results indicated that patients who were treated with extended-release methylphenidate recorded a 37% increase in duration of treatment than patients who were treated with an immediate-release formulation. Patients who were treated with Concerta HCI, a specific extended-release formulation, were associated with the longest treatment continuity, which was averaged at 147 days.