Efficacy of atomoxetine in adult attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a drug-placebo response curve analysis

Stephen V Faraone¹ , Joseph Biederman² , Thomas Spencer² , David Michelson³ , Lenard Adler⁴ , Fred Reimherr⁵ and Stephen J Glatt⁶

¹Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA

²Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 01880, USA

³Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN 46285, USA

⁴New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA

⁵Mood Disorders Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA

⁶Institute of Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA

author email corresponding author email

Behavioral and Brain Functions 2005, 1:16doi:10.1186/1744-9081-1-16


Published:	3 October 2005

Abstract

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.