Sunday, June 29, 2008

ADHD Gene Doesn't Predict Response to Drugs

Canadian researchers report that their discovery of a gene variant that seems to affect the severity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder did not help them predict which patients are likely to respond to a class of drugs widely used to treat the disorder.

The lack of a connection between the variant and response to methylphenidates was a blow for researchers, who have hoped to use genetic data to better predict who might be the best candidates for this treatment. Ritalin is one example of a methylphenidate.

"It is a negative study," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "The goal is to try and better identify patients who are best going to respond to which medicine, and they didn't get the findings they were hoping to find. Their theory wasn't supported by the data."

READ MORE @ FORBES