September 17, 2007
Study to Look for Heart Risks from ADHD Medications

Two agencies in the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that they are conducting the most comprehensive study to date of whether taking prescription medication to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular problems in children and adults. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will examine the clinical data of about 500,000 individuals who took ADHD medication during a seven-year period ending in 2005. The data will be analyzed by researchers at Vanderbilt University and will include all drugs currently marketed for ADHD. The study announcement describes ADHD as “a behavioral disorder that may have significant impact on school performance and social functioning” that is believed to affect approximately 3 percent to 5 percent of school-age children and 4 percent of adults. A recent AHRQ analysis found that the top five drugs prescribed for ADHD in children under 17 accounted for $1.3 billion in medical expenditures in the year 2004.