Research
Efficacy of atomoxetine in adult attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a drug-placebo response curve analysis
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* Corresponding author: Stephen V Faraone faraones@upstate.edu
1 Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
2 Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 01880, USA
3 Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN 46285, USA
4 New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
5 Mood Disorders Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
6 Institute of Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA
Behavioral and Brain Functions 2005, 1:16 doi:10.1186/1744-9081-1-16
Published: 3 October 2005Abstract
Background
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of atomoxetine, a new and highly selective inhibitor of the norepinephrine transporter, in reducing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among adults by using drug-placebo response curve methods.
Methods
We analyzed data from two double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design studies of adult patients (Study I, N = 280; Study II, N = 256) with DSM-IV-defined ADHD who were recruited by referral and advertising. Subjects were randomized to 10 weeks of treatment with atomoxetine or placebo, and were assessed with the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales and the Clinical Global Impression of ADHD Severity scale before and after treatment.
Results
Those treated with atomoxetine were more likely to show a reduction in ADHD symptoms than those receiving placebo. Across all measures, the likelihood that an atomoxetine-treated subject improved to a greater extent than a placebo-treated subject was approximately 0.60. Furthermore, atomoxetine prevented worsening of most symptom classes.
Conclusion
From these findings, we conclude that atomoxetine is an effective treatment for ADHD among adults when evaluated using several criteria.