Dasotraline shows potential for improving ADHD symptom severity

Research published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology has suggested that once-daily dasotraline is a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Child with ADHD daydreaming

A novel treatment has been found to be effective in improving symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, such as attention and hyperactivity[1]
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Researchers randomly assigned 342 children aged 6–12 years with ADHD to dasotraline (2mg or 4mg) or placebo once daily for six weeks.

ADHD symptom severity, as measured on an 18-item 4-point scale, decreased by 17.5 points on average in the dasotraline 4mg group compared with 11.4 points in the placebo group. The change in score in the dasotraline 2mg group (–11.8) was not significantly different to placebo.

The most common adverse events in the dasotraline group included insomnia, decreased appetite, decreased weight and irritability.

Dasotraline is an inhibitor of presynaptic dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake and, unlike amphetamines, which are also effective in ADHD, it does not stimulate dopamine production, which can lead to dependency and abuse.

“The results of the current study provide efficacy and safety data indicating that dasotraline, dosed once-per-day, is a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of ADHD, with a reduced potential for abuse,” the team concluded in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (7 March 2019).

References

[1] Findling R, Adler L, Spencer T et al. Dasotraline in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a six-week, placebo-controlled, fixed-dose trial. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2019;29(2):80–89. doi: 10.1089/cap.2018.0083

Last updated
Citation
Clinical Pharmacist, CP, May 2019, Vol 11, No 5;11(5):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2019.20206375

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