ABSTRACT. Objective. Atomoxetine is an investigational, nonstimulant pharmacotherapy being studied as potential treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is thought to act via blockade of the presynaptic norepinephrine transporter in the brain. We assessed the efficacy of 3 doses of atomoxetine compared with placebo in children and adolescents with ADHD.Methods. A total of 297 children and adolescents who were 8 to 18 years of age and had ADHD as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, were randomized to placebo or atomoxetine dosed on a weight-adjusted basis at 0.5 mg/kg/day, 1.2 mg/kg/day, or 1.8 mg/kg/day for an 8-week period. ADHD symptoms, affective symptoms, and social and family functioning were assessed using parent and investigator rating scales.Results. Approximately 71% of children enrolled were male, approximately 67% met criteria for mixed subtype (both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms), and the only common psychiatric comorbidity was oppositional defiant disorder (approximately 38% of the sample). At baseline, symptom severity was rated as moderate to severe for most children. At endpoint, atomoxetine 1.2 mg/kg/day and 1.8 mg/kg/day were consistently associated with superior outcomes in ADHD symptoms compared with placebo and were not different from each other. The dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day was associated with intermediate efficacy between placebo and the 2 higher doses, suggesting a graded dose-response. Social and family functioning also were improved in the atomoxetine groups compared with placebo with statistically significant improvements in measures of children's ability to meet psychosocial role expectations and parental impact. Discontinuations as a result of adverse events were <5% for all groups.Conclusion. Among children and adolescents aged 8 to 18, atomoxetine was superior to placebo in reducing ADHD symptoms and in improving social and family functioning symptoms. Atomoxetine was associated with a graded dose-response, and 1.2 mg/kg/day seems to be as effective as 1.8 mg/kg/day and is likely to be the appropriate initial target dose for most patients. Treatment with atomoxetine was safe and well tolerated.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was shown to reduce seizure frequency in refractory epilepsy patients in two pilot studies. Based on these results, a multicenter, prospectively randomized, parallel, double-blind study of patients with refractory partial seizures was initiated. After a 12-week baseline period, identical vagus nerve stimulators were implanted and patients randomized to either a high or low 14-week VNS treatment paradigm. The primary objective was to demonstrate that high VNS (therapeutic parameters) was more effective in reducing partial seizure frequency than was low VNS (less or noneffective parameters). Patients continued receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) with plasma concentrations held constant throughout the study. We report results of the first 67 patients to exit the 14-week acute phase. After 14 weeks of VNS, 31 patients receiving high VNS experienced a mean seizure frequency percentage reduction of 30.9%, which was statistically significant as compared with the mean seizure frequency percentage reduction of 11.3% in 36 patients receiving low VNS (p = 0.029, t test; p = 0.036, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). In addition to the significant intragroup p-values, mean seizure frequency percentage change reached statistical significance for high VNS (p < 0.001) but not low VNS (p = 0.072) as compared with baseline. Twelve of 31 (38.7%) patients receiving high VNS achieved at least 50% reduction in seizure frequency whereas 7 of 36 (19.4%) patients receiving low VNS experienced at least 50% reduction after 14 weeks. The implant procedure and VNS therapy were well tolerated. Our study confirmed the effectiveness of VNS as treatment for epilepsy patients with refractory partial seizures.
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