Efficacy of Shire's Vyvanse maintained in ADHD adolescents after at least six months

A significantly lower proportion of subjects experiencing treatment failure whilst receiving UK specialty drugmaker Shire’s (LSE: SHP) attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHA) treatment Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) in the randomized withdrawal period, compared to those subjects receiving placebo, new data demonstrate.

Shire yesterday revealed results of the Phase III study which demonstrated the long-term maintenance of efficacy of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) in children and adolescents aged six to 17 years with ADHD at the EUNETHYDIS 2nd International ADHD Conference taking place in Barcelona, Spain. Vyvanse is already a best-seller for Shire, generating sales of $895 million last year, a 27% rise year-on-year.

Children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD were treated with LDX (30, 50 or 70mg/day) during an open-label period (comprising dose optimization, maintenance and fixed dose periods) of at least 26 weeks before entering a six-week double-blind randomized withdrawal period, where subjects received either LDX or placebo.