Eli Lilly & Co. warned doctors and patients that children and adolescents taking the Strattera medication for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder may have a higher risk of suicidal thoughts.
Five cases of suicidal thinking and one attempted suicide were found among 1,357 children in trials, the Indianapolis- based company said today. No deaths were reported. Lilly will put a warning on Strattera's label, which was updated in December to include the risk of liver damage.
``We believe that parents are very sensitive to safety issues for ADHD drugs and that a new warning could further add to pressure on the product,'' Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst David Moskowitz wrote in a note to clients today.
About 5 million U.S. children, or 7 percent, are diagnosed with ADHD, a disorder marked by inattentiveness and impulsive behavior. Recently, some doctors have said ADHD is over diagnosed, partly to keep active children calm in the classroom. The global ADHD market is about $1.7 billion, said Gloria Tsuen, an analyst at First Investors Corp. in New York.
It's unclear if the risks apply to other ADHD drugs, such as Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc's Adderall, Novartis AG's Ritalin and Johnson & Johnson's Concerta. Those drugs work as stimulants. Strattera, the first of its class approved for sale, works by blocking the body's absorption of the chemical norepinephrine in the brain, leaving more of it to help control attention and activity levels.
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Five cases of suicidal thinking and one attempted suicide were found among 1,357 children in trials, the Indianapolis- based company said today. No deaths were reported. Lilly will put a warning on Strattera's label, which was updated in December to include the risk of liver damage.
``We believe that parents are very sensitive to safety issues for ADHD drugs and that a new warning could further add to pressure on the product,'' Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst David Moskowitz wrote in a note to clients today.
About 5 million U.S. children, or 7 percent, are diagnosed with ADHD, a disorder marked by inattentiveness and impulsive behavior. Recently, some doctors have said ADHD is over diagnosed, partly to keep active children calm in the classroom. The global ADHD market is about $1.7 billion, said Gloria Tsuen, an analyst at First Investors Corp. in New York.
It's unclear if the risks apply to other ADHD drugs, such as Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc's Adderall, Novartis AG's Ritalin and Johnson & Johnson's Concerta. Those drugs work as stimulants. Strattera, the first of its class approved for sale, works by blocking the body's absorption of the chemical norepinephrine in the brain, leaving more of it to help control attention and activity levels.
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