Drug Makers Struggle to Replace Stimulants with Non-Addictive Alternatives

Unfortunately, the same drugs that have a high potential for abuse are also the drugs that are most effective for certain individuals with neurobehavioral disorders. According to GlobalData, without comparable effectiveness from non-stimulant drugs, it remains difficult for stimulants to penetrate the mainstream pharmaceutical market.

The attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) market is a lucrative business: Stimulants, amphetamines, and methylphenidate continue to dominate the ADHD drug market across seven major markets, Express Pharma report. (The seven major markets are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, US, and Japan.)

Non-addictive drugs have shown “catastrophically low” efficacy in treating ADHD.

Pharmaceutical companies are in a race to develop safer alternative drugs. Three of the four late-stage pipeline candidates in Phase III development in these markets (Axsome Therapeutics’ solriamfetol, Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s centanafadine, and Neurocentria’s L-threonate magnesium salt) One has non-irritating properties.

Solriamfetol and centanafadine’s low abuse potential is a major selling point created by their developers, but even if approved, they will never reach the market unless they are shown to be as effective as stimulants. It will be difficult to penetrate.

The use of stimulants to treat ADHD is on the rise.

Key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the treatment of ADHD say patients and parents have been hesitant to use stimulants to treat ADHD in children and adolescents, but this has changed over time and the He says stimulant use is on the rise. .

“Marketing focused on abuse potential is common for both over-the-counter and pipeline nonstimulants. This suggests that KOLs view the abuse potential of ADHD stimulants as overestimated.” And yet,” said Lorraine Palmer, pharmaceutical analyst at GlobalData. “KOLs interviewed by GlobalData were not concerned about whether the treatment was stimulant or non-stimulant, but rather focused on the drug’s efficacy and side effect profile.”

Four non-stimulant drugs are commonly available over the counter: guanfacine, clonidine, atomoxetine, and viloxazine. Sleep disturbances and decreased appetite have been reported with both clonidine and atomoxetine.

“All four drugs are significantly less effective than stimulants in treating ADHD,” Express Pharma reports.

“Rather than stressing the potential for abuse, a better alternative strategy to enter the saturated ADHD market could be to improve compliance or provide coverage into the evening without affecting sleep,” says Dr. will target critical unmet needs in the country.”

Part of this challenge may include the effects of the addiction itself. As for the popular ADHD medication Adderall, adults and children ages 6 and up can take Adderall starting at 5 milligrams, and children ages 3 to 5 can take Adderall starting at 2.5 mg per day. You can get started. In any case, it is prohibited to prescribe the drug only to children under 3 years of age.

The active ingredients in Adderall are dextroamphetamine saccharate, amphetamine aspartate, dextroamphetamine sulfate, and amphetamine sulfate.Carl Hart, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, famously wrote an article in Vice magazine in 2016 that stated that stimulants “It’s almost the same as Adderall.” In terms of chemistry and its effects on the brain.

2016 survey Published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry The past few years have shown an increase in the number of young people entering emergency rooms due to accidental overdoses of Adderall and similar drugs.

Other reasons to seek stimulant alternatives

high times Last September, we reported that major pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical companies are having little trouble addressing a national shortage of stimulant-based ADHD medications such as Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin.

The Adderall shortage began in the fall of 2022 and was marked by a notice in which the FDA acknowledged the shortage and expected it to be resolved in a month or two. But that’s not the case. joint notice On Aug. 1, it acknowledged that the shortage was “understandably frustrating” for patients and health care providers.

“The current stimulant shortage is the result of many factors. The problem began last fall due to manufacturing delays at one pharmaceutical manufacturer,” the joint notice states. “While this delay has since been eliminated, we continue to experience its effects, coupled with record-high stimulant prescription rates. Data shows that from 2012 to 2021, Overall dispensing of stimulants (including amphetamine products and other stimulants) increased by 45.5%.”

Teva Pharmaceuticals, Adderall’s largest manufacturer, reported a stock shortage. Richard Francis, CEO of Teva, said: bloomberg The company said it was currently operating at “full capacity” and claimed that the drop in production from the previous year was due to labor shortages caused by the coronavirus and had barely recovered. If we wanted to increase the production of Adderall, we would have to buy or build more factories because our current infrastructure cannot handle the larger production volumes. The company declined to comment on whether it plans to invest in such infrastructure.

This further strengthens the multiple reasons why less addictive, non-stimulant medications are needed to treat ADHD.